WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.899 Welcome to Ontario Community Church, 00:00:02.899 --> 00:00:04.799 where we're dedicated to encouraging, 00:00:04.799 --> 00:00:07.799 equipping, and engaging lives for Christ. 00:00:07.799 --> 00:00:10.000 Located in Ontario, Oregon, 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:11.720 Pastor Patrick Daly preaches 00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:13.800 insightful sermons from the Word of God, 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:16.760 offering practical applications for modern living. 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:19.640 We're delighted to share this sermon with you. 00:00:19.640 --> 00:00:25.160 Jesus Christ offered the greatest sacrifice 00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:28.600 by paying for our sins on the cross. 00:00:28.600 --> 00:00:34.600 And this was done by the love that God has for us, 00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:39.400 for God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, 00:00:39.400 --> 00:00:42.600 that whosoever believes shall not perish, 00:00:42.600 --> 00:00:45.200 but have everlasting life. 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:48.799 The sacrifice that the Lord made was for us, 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:51.200 it was made for everyone. 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:55.200 And because of this, when we believe in the Lord, 00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:58.400 we have everlasting life. 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:04.400 And to know that we are saved by grace through faith is remarkable. 00:01:04.400 --> 00:01:10.000 To know that we are secure in the arms of the Father is wonderful. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:12.799 The sacrifice made for us, 00:01:12.799 --> 00:01:16.000 it should be a call for us to hear the good news, 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:19.799 to respond to the gospel message, 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:23.200 to come to know the Lord and to grow in Him, 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:27.599 and to be encouraged to do good in the name of Jesus Christ. 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:32.599 Because of Jesus Christ, His sacrifice, 00:01:32.599 --> 00:01:37.199 wouldn't you want to follow in the footsteps of Christ? 00:01:37.199 --> 00:01:40.599 Wouldn't you want to leave the former life, 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:45.000 the former things, and put on the new self? 00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:49.199 The life that Christ offers is a better life. 00:01:49.199 --> 00:01:52.000 It is because of faith in Him 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:55.599 that we become a new creation, 00:01:55.599 --> 00:02:01.199 and we are placed on a path to become transformed 00:02:01.199 --> 00:02:03.399 by the inner working, 00:02:03.399 --> 00:02:07.000 by the transformation that comes from God our Father, 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:10.199 and to become better people in the eyes of God. 00:02:10.199 --> 00:02:13.199 We are called to trust and obey 00:02:13.199 --> 00:02:16.000 so that we can become more like Him, 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:19.199 so that we can become holy. 00:02:19.199 --> 00:02:22.799 When we set our minds on the things that are higher, 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:25.600 and not the things that are lower, 00:02:25.600 --> 00:02:28.600 when we put on the new self and we let go of the former life 00:02:28.600 --> 00:02:30.600 and the former things, 00:02:30.600 --> 00:02:37.400 there is transformation that comes from the inside out. 00:02:37.400 --> 00:02:40.800 God will transform our lives 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:46.600 if we believe in Him and we follow in the footsteps of Christ. 00:02:46.600 --> 00:02:51.000 This transformation exists not only in who you are, 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:53.400 but in your interactions with others, 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:55.400 how you see the world, 00:02:55.400 --> 00:02:58.599 and even in your relationships, 00:02:58.599 --> 00:03:01.800 in your marriages, in your family, 00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:04.800 in the family context. 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:08.599 Today, we are talking about how the Apostle Paul's, 00:03:08.599 --> 00:03:11.199 his mission in the early church, 00:03:11.199 --> 00:03:15.000 was to spread the good news of the Gospel. 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:16.800 And this was done in a time 00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:20.800 that was very different from our world today. 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:25.400 Women, children, bond servants, and slaves, 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:27.800 they were seen as property. 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:31.600 It was a very patriarchal society. 00:03:31.600 --> 00:03:36.000 And sadly, many of the verses that we will be going over today, 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:39.200 they have been taken out of context, 00:03:39.200 --> 00:03:42.400 and they have been used to justify abuse 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:47.600 and the mistreatment of women and of slaves throughout history. 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:51.400 And in order for us to properly understand these verses, 00:03:51.400 --> 00:03:56.400 we need to know the timeframe and the culture 00:03:56.400 --> 00:04:01.000 and the significance of Paul's letter to the Colossians. 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:06.599 As many of you know, Christianity was birthed in the time of the Roman Empire, 00:04:06.599 --> 00:04:11.199 a time where men, they were on a higher social status 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:16.000 compared to women, children, and servants and slaves. 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:19.399 The Colossian Church consisted of Gentiles, 00:04:19.399 --> 00:04:24.000 those who did not know the Lord, not at all. 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:27.000 But they came to know the Lord through faith. 00:04:27.000 --> 00:04:33.800 They once lived lives of sin or living a worldly, former life. 00:04:33.800 --> 00:04:35.399 They lived away from the Lord. 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:40.600 And I mention all of this to help us to understand 00:04:40.600 --> 00:04:44.399 that many of these people, they lived in their culture, 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:49.599 where it was commonplace, where if you were not a man, 00:04:49.599 --> 00:04:54.199 if you were a master, you were seen very differently. 00:04:54.199 --> 00:04:57.799 That's the culture in which Paul is writing in. 00:04:57.799 --> 00:05:00.399 The Colossians, like many people of the time, 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:03.599 again, they lived in a very patriarchal society. 00:05:03.599 --> 00:05:10.399 And what we're going to see today is the Apostle Paul is addressing wives, 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:17.399 children, masters, husbands, fathers, servants and slaves. 00:05:17.399 --> 00:05:21.599 What's very interesting, and I want to make it very clear here, 00:05:21.599 --> 00:05:27.199 Paul is not condoning the abuse of people. 00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:30.199 Instead, if he were to do that, 00:05:30.199 --> 00:05:34.000 he would only be addressing the men at the time. 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:43.000 And what's so remarkable is how he addresses each part of the family in that time period. 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:46.399 So we begin in verse 18 here. 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:52.600 And it says here, wives, submit to your husbands as it is fitting in the Lord. 00:05:52.600 --> 00:05:56.399 We begin with the Apostle Paul, letting the Colossians know that 00:05:56.399 --> 00:05:59.399 as people who are seeking to hire things, 00:05:59.399 --> 00:06:05.199 they, as one who sets aside the former life and lives out the new life, 00:06:05.199 --> 00:06:10.000 in regards to the home, a wife is to submit to the husband. 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:13.000 Paul is doing something that is unheard of here, 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:17.399 and with our modern mind, we may not see it immediately. 00:06:17.399 --> 00:06:20.799 Paul is speaking directly to wives. 00:06:20.799 --> 00:06:27.399 Submission is not a call for women to be slaves or bond servants to their husbands, 00:06:27.399 --> 00:06:31.799 but rather it is to work with their husbands, 00:06:31.799 --> 00:06:35.799 to create a home and a family together, 00:06:35.799 --> 00:06:39.799 one that honors and glorifies God. 00:06:39.799 --> 00:06:44.799 In marriage, as it says in Scripture, the two become one, 00:06:44.799 --> 00:06:49.000 and both are to work together. 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:54.799 There is strength and wisdom that wives bring to the family. 00:06:54.800 --> 00:07:00.000 Let this be a call to use your gifts, your talents and abilities in the home, 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:03.400 in the church and in the community. 00:07:03.400 --> 00:07:08.600 If the Apostle Paul were to condone the framework of the times, like I said, 00:07:08.600 --> 00:07:12.600 he would only be addressing the males. 00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:16.600 And so, again, this may seem very strange to us, 00:07:16.600 --> 00:07:19.199 but that is so significant. 00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:22.000 A lot of people at that time, 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:28.000 were very, they saw a certain framework of how to live life, 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:32.600 and as we're going, we'll see that the Apostle Paul is speaking to that. 00:07:32.600 --> 00:07:38.199 He is speaking outside of the cultural framework of the time. 00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:40.000 We go now to verse 19, 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:45.800 the husbands to love your wives and do not be harsh with them. 00:07:45.800 --> 00:07:48.800 Not only does the Apostle Paul speak to women, 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:51.600 he speaks directly to the husbands. 00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:57.400 Paul is saying that husbands are to love their wives and not to be harsh with them. 00:07:57.400 --> 00:08:01.800 For husbands, this kind of love, it's sacrificing. 00:08:01.800 --> 00:08:05.600 It's focusing not just on your own needs, 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:11.400 but what is good for the family unit and in this case, what is good for your wife. 00:08:11.400 --> 00:08:17.400 It is, again, working with your wife to ensure that she is in an environment 00:08:17.400 --> 00:08:20.600 where she feels safe and secure. 00:08:20.600 --> 00:08:28.600 It's also an encouragement for husbands to lead in family growth and in thriving. 00:08:28.600 --> 00:08:34.800 Both parts are to glorify God in what they say and what they do. 00:08:34.800 --> 00:08:37.800 Submission and love have been found throughout Scripture, 00:08:37.800 --> 00:08:41.800 and there's a beautiful comparison that is found in Ephesians, 00:08:41.800 --> 00:08:46.000 which mentions how Christ is the head and the church is the bride, 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:50.799 and this helps us further understand what Paul is talking about. 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:55.000 Husbands love your wives, and it's the second part here, 00:08:55.000 --> 00:09:01.799 as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. 00:09:01.799 --> 00:09:06.600 The Christian husband who is being made new, who's taking on the new self 00:09:06.600 --> 00:09:13.000 and not living the formal, the sinful life, but is exhibiting the love of Christ 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:18.000 and is sacrificing, willing to give up his life for his wife. 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:24.399 Well, that is the kind of love that is worthy to be supported, followed or submitted to. 00:09:24.399 --> 00:09:31.399 This is similar to the love and the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross for our sins. 00:09:31.399 --> 00:09:35.799 It's the same love that Christ has shown to us. 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:37.399 Think about that. 00:09:37.399 --> 00:09:43.199 Think about the love that Christ has for us, the sacrificing kind of love, 00:09:43.199 --> 00:09:47.399 and in regards to submission, it has to do with who we are following. 00:09:47.399 --> 00:09:51.399 We follow the Lord in what he does. 00:09:51.399 --> 00:09:54.199 Christ is the promise keeper. 00:09:54.199 --> 00:09:57.399 God loves us and gave us his son, 00:09:57.399 --> 00:10:03.399 and God calls for us to submit to the love and the grace of Christ. 00:10:03.399 --> 00:10:10.199 And so, wives are to submit when they're putting on their new self to their husbands. 00:10:10.199 --> 00:10:14.399 This is the framework that the Apostle Paul is presenting, 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:21.799 and it's very different again, like what the world, the culture at the time, was offering. 00:10:21.799 --> 00:10:25.799 The framework of the love of husbands and the submissions of life, 00:10:25.799 --> 00:10:32.799 it can be misinterpreted, where men can, her husbands can seek power over women, 00:10:32.799 --> 00:10:40.399 and women are seeking, well, in any case, it's when you have that sinful nature, 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:43.000 selfish pursuits as it were. 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:48.799 But when you're being transformed by the Lord, there's something that is different. 00:10:48.799 --> 00:10:55.799 It is a more balanced approach, as husbands and wives are seen as equal in the eyes of God. 00:10:55.799 --> 00:10:59.199 What the Apostle Paul is saying here is that the transformation, 00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:08.600 it extends from our personal lives to our families and to our marriage, to the church and to the community. 00:11:08.600 --> 00:11:19.600 Let us allow for love to flow, overflow abundantly in the context of our interactions with the people that we know. 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:23.800 Husbands and wives are both called, and I want to make this very clear. 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:33.199 They are called to put to death the former things and to put on the new, the higher things, and to be transformed by the Lord. 00:11:33.199 --> 00:11:35.599 We then go into verse 20 here, where it says, 00:11:35.599 --> 00:11:42.000 children, obey your parents and everything for this pleases the Lord. 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:50.799 To obey means to essentially, to listen attentively, to be obedient, or to hear your parents. 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:56.399 And when it comes to children, it's not just about following the rules. 00:11:56.399 --> 00:12:04.399 It is about honoring God through listening, by listening and showing respect to your parents. 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:12.399 It encourages children to be a blessing to your parents, be a blessing to your family, 00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:21.399 and what you say and what you do and all members of the family matter in the eyes of God. 00:12:21.399 --> 00:12:24.399 We all have parents, don't we? 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:28.399 We all have been a child at one point or another. 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:34.399 Certainly, how can we obey or how can we honor our family? 00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:40.399 It is in being a Christian and putting on the new self that, on the other side, right, 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:44.399 children are to obey and parents are to also put on the new self, right? 00:12:44.399 --> 00:12:47.399 So it's this mutual thing that's happening. 00:12:47.399 --> 00:12:55.399 This is not to condone, again, abuse or people taking advantage of their call. 00:12:55.399 --> 00:13:01.399 When we see a child, sometimes when they listen, they might not do it with a cheerful heart, right? 00:13:01.399 --> 00:13:05.399 How very often, we've all done it before. 00:13:05.399 --> 00:13:10.399 There's listening and there's listening, right? 00:13:10.399 --> 00:13:16.399 One is listening with a cheerful heart and cleaning your room. 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:20.399 There's a difference between saying, okay, I'm going to clean my room. 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:25.399 Right? There's a difference between that. 00:13:25.399 --> 00:13:29.399 It all matters. It matters of the heart here. 00:13:29.399 --> 00:13:38.399 And again, it's two-way street here. Just as children are to obey their parents, parents, 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:43.399 and we'll see specifically that the apostle ball is also talking to fathers, 00:13:43.399 --> 00:13:47.399 make sure that you see what your children are doing. 00:13:47.399 --> 00:13:56.399 Do you realize that children can come to the Lord too and that they can honor you by how they listen to you? 00:13:56.399 --> 00:14:02.399 Something definitely to think about. And throughout Scripture, we see this repeated pattern of children, 00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:06.399 how they should listen to the guidance and the teaching of their parents. 00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:11.399 And this is so that they can become people who have that relationship in the Lord. 00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:15.399 Let us remember that children are a gift from God. 00:14:15.399 --> 00:14:25.399 And how wonderful is it when that gift is, when our children come to know the Lord? 00:14:25.399 --> 00:14:28.399 And when they are being transformed. 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:36.399 For us parents, if our children are disobeying or they're not listening, how do we respond? 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:45.399 Certainly there's prayer and being there for them, but also knowing that they are still our children. 00:14:45.399 --> 00:14:47.399 We still love them. 00:14:47.399 --> 00:14:49.399 It's this repeated pattern. 00:14:49.399 --> 00:14:57.399 If we are not showing our children that Christ loves us or godly qualities or attributes of the new life in Christ, 00:14:57.399 --> 00:15:00.399 again, it's a two-way street. 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:03.399 Show your kids what it means to be a Christian. 00:15:03.399 --> 00:15:09.399 And for children, you reflect that love back to your parents in honoring them. 00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:12.399 And so now we go to verse 21 here. 00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:15.399 Fathers do not provoke your children. 00:15:15.399 --> 00:15:20.399 Fathers do not provoke your children lest they become discouraged. 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:25.399 And while we see that the apostle Paul is writing to husbands and wives and children, 00:15:25.399 --> 00:15:31.399 there's continued instructions for men, specifically for fathers here. 00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:37.399 It's a reminder to put on the new self and to exhibit these godly qualities to children. 00:15:37.399 --> 00:15:43.399 And I sometimes think, God, why are you giving double instructions to fathers here? 00:15:43.399 --> 00:15:45.399 You're giving to husbands and fathers now. 00:15:45.399 --> 00:15:50.399 For some of us, we may understand what that means, right? 00:15:50.399 --> 00:16:00.399 It's kind of like God is doubling down on the importance of having good godly men, husbands, and fathers. 00:16:00.399 --> 00:16:06.399 And as a father of five myself, I got to keep myself in check. 00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:07.399 Right? 00:16:07.399 --> 00:16:15.399 I got to make sure that I am firm with my kids, but I also make sure that I show them that I love them. 00:16:15.399 --> 00:16:17.399 And that can be a hard thing. 00:16:17.399 --> 00:16:23.399 Sometimes they get so frustrating, you just, why aren't you listening to me, right? 00:16:23.399 --> 00:16:30.399 There's a similar passage in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 4. 00:16:30.399 --> 00:16:33.399 It's a parallel here. 00:16:33.399 --> 00:16:40.399 Fathers do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the what? 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:42.399 In the discipline and the instruction of the Lord. 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:46.399 That's why I was saying it's a two-way street here, right? 00:16:46.399 --> 00:16:50.399 That children are to obey their parents. 00:16:50.399 --> 00:16:58.399 Parents are specifically fathers, what Paul is mentioning here, is to instruct your children in the ways of God. 00:16:58.399 --> 00:17:06.400 It's the same kind of love that God the Father has for us and the kind of love that we in the church are to have with each other. 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:07.400 Right? 00:17:07.400 --> 00:17:09.400 We stand firm in truth. 00:17:09.400 --> 00:17:14.400 We're firm with our children, but we also deal in love. 00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:19.400 I want to, for me personally, this convicts me a great deal. 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:24.400 Because I want to be able to teach my kids how to be godly men and women. 00:17:24.400 --> 00:17:27.400 That moves me not to discourage them. 00:17:27.400 --> 00:17:37.400 This provoking, this word that shows up is not, it's defined as stirring things up or prolonging things. 00:17:37.400 --> 00:17:39.400 How many of you have heard that phrase before? 00:17:39.400 --> 00:17:41.400 Don't ruffle their feathers, right? 00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:45.400 Or don't stir the pot, right? 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:48.400 Oh! 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:51.400 It's not dragging things longer than they should be, right? 00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:59.400 So when it's coming in this, what it's talking about in this verse is, be firm, deal in love and instruct your children. 00:17:59.400 --> 00:18:03.400 But do not drag on the past or stir up the pot. 00:18:03.400 --> 00:18:07.400 That is incredibly hard. 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:10.400 But it's what we're called to do. 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:17.400 With my own wife and children, both of these instructions from Paul, from a father and a husband's perspective, 00:18:17.400 --> 00:18:22.400 is to love my wife, not be harsh with her, not to provoke my own children. 00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:28.400 It reminds me a great deal of the importance of the qualities. 00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:34.400 Why we should put on the new self for men and for women and for children? 00:18:34.400 --> 00:18:41.400 Because there is such transformation that comes from the Lord. 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:51.400 Think about worldly families and how they may conduct their household. 00:18:51.400 --> 00:18:57.400 And then think for a moment about how God wants something very different. 00:18:57.400 --> 00:19:03.400 That's what the apostle Paul is doing here, is presenting something different than what was shown at the time, 00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:09.400 much like how the Lord presents something different for us today. 00:19:09.400 --> 00:19:11.400 I have to be patient. 00:19:11.400 --> 00:19:17.400 I have to control my strength and love other people more than myself. 00:19:17.400 --> 00:19:18.400 I can't be selfish here. 00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:19.400 We shouldn't be selfish. 00:19:19.400 --> 00:19:25.400 We should take on patience and these, the meekness and the qualities of the new self. 00:19:25.400 --> 00:19:33.400 Let all of these things, let them be callings, not to be a discouragement. 00:19:33.400 --> 00:19:35.400 Let us think for a moment. 00:19:35.400 --> 00:19:40.400 And these passages I know are very difficult. 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:43.400 It's one of the hardest passages to go over. 00:19:43.400 --> 00:19:50.400 Let us be reminded that if we need strength or if we need comfort or wisdom for the Lord, 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:59.400 we ask God for that strength and those ability that renewed that wisdom and that insight. 00:19:59.400 --> 00:20:02.400 Pray to the Lord, ask him for that. 00:20:02.400 --> 00:20:09.400 And there's many times where we may fall short or we may sin or we'll just mess up. 00:20:09.400 --> 00:20:12.400 How many of us messed up today? 00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:15.400 You don't have to raise your hands, right? 00:20:15.400 --> 00:20:23.400 Or this week, if you didn't mess up this week, I really want to know what's going on here, right? 00:20:23.400 --> 00:20:32.400 Let it be a call for you to ask the guidance and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to help you in your life. 00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:39.400 Let us seek the Lord and pray to the Lord to exhibit these qualities within the family context, 00:20:39.400 --> 00:20:43.400 whether you're a wife or a husband or a child. 00:20:43.400 --> 00:20:47.400 For God transforms us from the inside out. 00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:50.400 Do not let this burden you. 00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:55.400 Even if you have not done any of this before and taking on the new self, 00:20:55.400 --> 00:21:05.400 it shows the power of who our God is, the power of salvation and the continued inner working of the Triune God, 00:21:05.400 --> 00:21:08.400 the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:12.400 First and foremost, believe in the Lord. 00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:14.400 First become a Christian. 00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:23.400 Then grow, read your Bible and pray and be in Christian community and don't ever be afraid to come to the Lord for continued help. 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:26.400 That is what's beautiful about our God. 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:30.400 Salvation, you've heard me say this before and I'll say it again. 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:33.400 Salvation is not the end of your life. 00:21:33.400 --> 00:21:38.400 It is the beginning of your new life in Christ. 00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:49.400 To have that eternal security in this life, it should give us confidence to live this life and let God to continue to work in and through us. 00:21:49.400 --> 00:22:01.400 To know God and to grow in him is to allow God to transform our lives, our own personal lives and let it manifest into our relationships. 00:22:01.400 --> 00:22:08.400 You may be in a situation where you may not have a functioning family. 00:22:08.400 --> 00:22:18.400 Let God work in your life though and pray for every single one of those members of your family. 00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:29.400 I can tell you on a very personal note, I was adopted and I do not know my biological mother or father and that's okay. 00:22:29.400 --> 00:22:38.400 Because I was raised in a good home where my mother and father, my adopted mother and father, I call them mom and dad. 00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:42.400 Because they loved me and they took me in. 00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:50.400 It's something I still very difficult to talk about but it goes to show you though. 00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:56.400 We all don't, we may not have the perfect family and that's okay. 00:22:56.400 --> 00:23:00.400 Let that be a reminder for you. I mean, don't raise your hand. 00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:03.400 But who has a perfect family? Right? 00:23:03.400 --> 00:23:06.400 Who's got a perfect family? Right? 00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:10.400 We all have things in our families, right? 00:23:10.400 --> 00:23:14.400 When we're reading this, it can be incredibly discouraging. 00:23:14.400 --> 00:23:19.400 You're like, well, my husband is this or my wife is that. 00:23:19.400 --> 00:23:37.400 Have you seen my children? It's understanding that when we become a Christian and we're being transformed in our minds and our hearts and in our very lives, 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:43.400 imagine how wonderful it can be if your entire family comes to know the Lord. 00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:46.400 And I understand very often that's not always the case. 00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:51.400 I think of my own family. I think of my cousins who live very worldly lives. 00:23:51.400 --> 00:23:55.400 I think of a lot of them but I still love them. 00:23:55.400 --> 00:24:02.400 I still exhibit that love of Christ with them even if they're lost and even if they're worldly or sinning. 00:24:02.400 --> 00:24:08.400 And so you may be in a situation where you have a spouse or you may have a child, 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:14.400 you may have a cousin that isn't exhibiting the love of Christ. 00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:18.400 You don't even know the Lord. You can still be there for them. 00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:28.400 Be that beacon of hope and maybe just maybe the Lord wanted you to be saved so that you can reach out to your family. 00:24:28.400 --> 00:24:32.400 That's something else to think about. 00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:34.400 We go to verse 22. 00:24:34.400 --> 00:24:39.400 So we're talking about marriage and bond servants. 00:24:39.400 --> 00:24:41.400 This is a very difficult verse here. 00:24:41.400 --> 00:24:44.400 Bond servants obey in everything. 00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:49.400 Those who are your earthly matters, not by way of eye services, people pleasers, 00:24:49.400 --> 00:24:52.400 but with sincerity of heart fearing the Lord. 00:24:52.400 --> 00:24:56.400 Just like how the Apostle Paul was writing to wives and husbands and children, 00:24:56.400 --> 00:25:00.400 he is writing to slaves or bond servants. 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:03.400 And I want to address something head on here. 00:25:03.400 --> 00:25:07.400 In preparing for this sermon, I saw that there were many churches, 00:25:07.400 --> 00:25:10.400 and this isn't a criticism. This is just an observation. 00:25:10.400 --> 00:25:15.400 Many churches speak on how today there's no longer slavery here in America. 00:25:15.400 --> 00:25:20.400 And the best modern day relatability has to do with how our employer is the master 00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:23.400 and we are the slave by being the employee. 00:25:23.400 --> 00:25:28.400 Well, yes and no. I would more so say no. 00:25:28.400 --> 00:25:34.400 The Apostle Paul was writing in a time when having servants and slaves was commonplace. 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:40.400 Paul's job was to proclaim the good news of the gospel and establishing early Christianity 00:25:40.400 --> 00:25:44.400 and speaking to the existing social structure. 00:25:44.400 --> 00:25:51.400 When the Apostle Paul is speaking to each individual's in the home, so to speak, 00:25:51.400 --> 00:25:57.400 it's a call for transformation, a call to know the Lord, 00:25:57.400 --> 00:26:02.400 and a call to deal differently within the social structure. 00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:05.400 That's what's remarkable about these verses. 00:26:05.400 --> 00:26:09.400 The Apostle Paul is saying, and look, this is not easy to say, right? 00:26:09.400 --> 00:26:12.400 The Apostle Paul is saying that if you're a slave or a bond servant, 00:26:12.400 --> 00:26:16.400 depending upon which translation you use, you obey with sincerity of heart 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:19.400 and not being a people pleaser. I want to put this up. 00:26:19.400 --> 00:26:23.400 Does this mean that the Apostle Paul is condoning slavery? 00:26:23.400 --> 00:26:29.400 The answer is no. Absolutely not because the entire book of Philemon. 00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:35.400 The Apostle Paul is writing to Philemon in regards to Onesimus, the runaway slave, right? 00:26:35.400 --> 00:26:40.400 He ran away, he met Paul, he became a believer, he served for the cause of Christ, 00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:45.400 and he grew closer to Paul. The whole point of the letter, if you haven't read Philemon, 00:26:45.400 --> 00:26:50.400 you should read it, or if you were here when we went over Philemon, 00:26:50.400 --> 00:26:56.400 was the Apostle Paul wrote the letter to Philemon in regards to Onesimus 00:26:56.400 --> 00:27:02.400 to consider that this man knows the Lord and is a brother in Christ, 00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:08.400 you should consider him a free man. What a revolutionary thought at that time. 00:27:08.400 --> 00:27:12.400 And so going back to this verse, Paul is saying to obey, 00:27:12.400 --> 00:27:18.400 knowing that in the early church in Colossae and in the Roman Empire, 00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:23.400 it was a society where slaves and servants was common. 00:27:23.400 --> 00:27:30.400 That doesn't mean that the Word of God can still transform people even in such a social structure. 00:27:30.400 --> 00:27:34.400 That, we've got to keep that in mind. Let's go to verse 23 here, 00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:42.400 work for God and not for man. This is the verse we can apply to employer and employee relations, right? 00:27:42.400 --> 00:27:47.400 So Paul is going on and saying that when you're working, no matter what your status is, right, 00:27:47.400 --> 00:27:52.400 contextually it's talking about slaves or servants, bond servants, right? 00:27:52.400 --> 00:27:58.400 Those who are indentured servants, this can be applied to all of us, right? 00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:05.400 In whatever work that we do, that makes sense. It's a call to work for God and not for man, though. 00:28:05.400 --> 00:28:10.400 Think about that. Yeah, we can absolutely apply it to us today. 00:28:10.400 --> 00:28:13.400 Who do you work for? Do you work for man or do you work for the Lord? 00:28:13.400 --> 00:28:16.400 It should be a very cut and dry answer. 00:28:16.400 --> 00:28:20.400 And contextually though, it's speaking to those who are in bondage, slaves and servants. 00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:26.400 It speaks to us today that no matter what our situation in life is, 00:28:26.400 --> 00:28:32.400 we can still come to the Lord and know that we are secure by believing in the Lord. 00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:38.400 And let us not forget also that slavery still exists in the world. 00:28:38.400 --> 00:28:43.400 In fact, it has existed in most of the history of the world. 00:28:43.400 --> 00:28:48.400 I know that's a difficult thing to talk about, a difficult thing to address. 00:28:48.400 --> 00:28:56.400 Can this passage still speak to someone who may be in a country or in a situation where they are enslaved? 00:28:56.400 --> 00:29:00.400 Absolutely. 00:29:00.400 --> 00:29:05.400 We just don't hear about it in the United States so much, but it still exists. 00:29:05.400 --> 00:29:09.400 Verse 24, what a beautiful verse. 00:29:09.400 --> 00:29:15.400 The Lord will give an inheritance knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. 00:29:15.400 --> 00:29:20.400 You are serving the Lord Jesus Christ. This can be taken out of context very easily here. 00:29:20.400 --> 00:29:28.400 But it's knowing here that if you are a Christian and you're in that social status where you're enslaved or you're in bondage, 00:29:28.400 --> 00:29:35.400 you have that eternal reward of knowing the Lord and receiving salvation through faith. 00:29:35.400 --> 00:29:43.400 But also it's saying here that the work that you're doing will be considered a treasure in heaven. 00:29:43.400 --> 00:29:46.400 And that's remarkable to me to know that. 00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:51.400 When you work with all that you are for the glory of God, you will receive a reward. 00:29:51.400 --> 00:29:57.400 Not only will slaves and servants receive the ultimate reward of salvation by believing in the Lord, 00:29:57.400 --> 00:30:01.400 they will receive treasures in heaven for the good that they do. 00:30:01.400 --> 00:30:09.400 And contextually, this is speaking directly to a culture where the class system was very different than ours today. 00:30:09.400 --> 00:30:15.400 But let's not forget America has had a history in that too. And it's very unfortunate. 00:30:15.400 --> 00:30:25.400 It does still speak to us today, regardless of our class or our status in our culture today. 00:30:25.400 --> 00:30:28.400 We then go into verse 25. 00:30:28.400 --> 00:30:31.400 The wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong, right? What does it say? 00:30:31.400 --> 00:30:38.400 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done and there is no partiality. 00:30:38.400 --> 00:30:48.400 The apostle Paul is doubling down. He's going even further by letting slaves and servants know that the one who does wrong will reap what they sow. 00:30:48.400 --> 00:30:54.400 Do you really think? Do you understand that God will punish those who are wicked? 00:30:54.400 --> 00:31:02.400 Do you understand that? Do you? God will judge the ones who do evil to Christians. 00:31:02.400 --> 00:31:10.400 And God is not pleased when a Christian does evil to brothers and sisters in Christ. 00:31:10.400 --> 00:31:13.400 Something that should comfort us. 00:31:13.400 --> 00:31:17.400 Knowing that those who do evil, they will reap what they sow. 00:31:17.400 --> 00:31:24.400 I know some of us may hear the phrase, oh, well, you know, they're going to get what they deserve. 00:31:24.400 --> 00:31:28.400 Well, think of it like this. And it's really harsh to hear it. 00:31:28.400 --> 00:31:39.400 You will reap what you sow. When we think of someone who is evil and is sinning and is doing wrong in the eyes of God, it will come back. 00:31:39.400 --> 00:31:46.400 That's very harsh language, but it's language that we should understand for those who do evil. 00:31:46.400 --> 00:31:57.400 In the context here, the Lord is saying, look, the wrongdoer in the context of slaves and servants, they will reap what they sow. 00:31:57.400 --> 00:32:02.400 They will be paid back for the wrong that has happened. 00:32:02.400 --> 00:32:13.400 We're called to become believers through faith, to put to death the former life, the terrible qualities, and to put on the new godly qualities. 00:32:13.400 --> 00:32:18.400 And finally, we go to chapter four, verse one. 00:32:18.400 --> 00:32:23.400 I would think this would be the final verse of chapter three, but that's okay. 00:32:23.400 --> 00:32:35.400 It's still important. Masters, treat your bond servants justly and fairly, knowing that you have a master in heaven, which is continuing from that previous verse. 00:32:35.400 --> 00:32:49.400 Paul writes to the masters of the slaves and servants saying that they need to treat them justly and fairly, because not only do they have a master in heaven, but they are accountable to God. 00:32:49.400 --> 00:33:05.400 Again, do you see it now that Paul is speaking to an existing culture where slaves and masters were common, where culture where really it was primarily men at the top, but it's being changed here. 00:33:05.400 --> 00:33:18.400 I'm sure that just as there were men and women who came to believe in Christ, there must have been those who were rich and those who were poor, who came to know the Lord, but also slaves and masters. 00:33:18.400 --> 00:33:26.400 A transformed master will see that he is accountable to God and God is the king, he is the supreme, he is the sovereign Lord of all. 00:33:26.400 --> 00:33:37.400 And in this case, God exhibits love and kindness, justice, transformation, truth, and peace. 00:33:37.400 --> 00:33:50.400 What God offers is better than what earthly leaders or what earthly masters have to offer. It's the difference between what God gives and what the world will give. 00:33:50.400 --> 00:34:02.400 And consider this, if slaves and servants and masters are, or if slaves and servants are considered equal in the eyes of God, masters, why would you mistreat them? 00:34:02.400 --> 00:34:16.400 If they're a brother and sister in Christ, you shouldn't be mistreating them. Why should a man or a woman who is free in Christ, who has been set free from the bondage of sin, be viewed upon as a slave to men? 00:34:16.400 --> 00:34:22.400 What a revolutionary thought that the apostle Paul is presenting here. 00:34:22.400 --> 00:34:35.400 And to bring all of this together, the apostle Paul is writing to the Colossians, showing them that in becoming a Christian, they are to put to death the former life, the former things. 00:34:35.400 --> 00:34:44.400 I jokingly said a couple of weeks ago, that song, you've got to change your evil ways. Well, that's a good reminder even for us today. 00:34:44.400 --> 00:34:52.400 You got to change your evil ways, put to death the former life, right? And put on the new life in Christ. 00:34:52.400 --> 00:35:06.400 In doing this, the apostle Paul is showing that in the eyes of God, we are considered to be children of light, children of the Lord and brothers and sisters in Christ. 00:35:06.400 --> 00:35:18.400 Scripture offers something that is much different in these verses. It is the seed of transformation that is happening in the early church and also in the culture. 00:35:18.400 --> 00:35:28.400 And this transformation that I speak of happens, it begins from the individual person, from the inside out. 00:35:28.400 --> 00:35:36.400 Men, women and children are seen as equal in the eyes of God. They are of equal importance. 00:35:36.400 --> 00:35:45.400 And in these verses, no matter what your social status is, slaves, servants, masters, they are equal in the eyes of God. 00:35:45.400 --> 00:35:57.400 Galatians chapter 3 verse 38, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female for you are all one. 00:35:57.400 --> 00:36:09.400 And in the eyes of Christ Jesus, if we are all seen as equal in the eyes of God, wouldn't that prove that God does not want slavery to exist in the world? 00:36:09.400 --> 00:36:23.400 Wouldn't that show it? Think about that. Consider again the book of Philemon where Paul was making a case that Onesimus should be seen as a free man just as he is free in Christ. 00:36:23.400 --> 00:36:37.400 I'm going to put that up here. This is what Paul is saying. Perhaps the reason that he, Onesimus, was separated from you Philemon for a little while was that you might have him back forever. 00:36:37.400 --> 00:36:49.400 At first you're like, what do you mean? What's it say next? No longer as a what? But better than a slave. As a dear what? As a brother. 00:36:49.400 --> 00:37:01.400 He is very dear to me, but even dearer to you both as a man and as a brother in the Lord. We find that in scripture. 00:37:01.400 --> 00:37:11.400 Consider the Exodus as the other one. Moses answered the people, do not be afraid, stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. 00:37:11.400 --> 00:37:22.400 The Egyptians you see today will never see again. The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still. What did it say? You will see the deliverance. 00:37:22.400 --> 00:37:34.400 And then in Exodus chapter 20 verse 2, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of where? Out of Egypt, out of the land of what? Slavery. 00:37:34.400 --> 00:37:48.400 There are of course other verses in your notes. Check out Esther sometime. You'll see in your notes Esther chapter 4 verse 14 and Esther chapter 7 verse 3 to 4. 00:37:48.400 --> 00:37:59.400 Those are some really good verses to check out on your own time. I wanted to leave that for, I'm giving you some homework here. But check that out. 00:37:59.400 --> 00:38:14.400 And I encourage all of you as we took communion today to realize and to remember to see the power of Jesus Christ sacrifice on the cross, making salvation available for all who believe. 00:38:14.400 --> 00:38:26.400 Not only are we eternally secure in the arms of the Father, transformation comes from the inside out from our personal lives and also to our relationships, to our marriage and to our family. 00:38:26.400 --> 00:38:39.400 It extends from us, right? Radiating the love of Christ, patience and humility, right? All of these qualities to those that we come in contact with, right? 00:38:39.400 --> 00:38:49.400 Those that we interact with. We are called to believe in the Lord, to get baptized, to read the Word of God and let the word well within us richly. 00:38:49.400 --> 00:39:00.400 And let the triune God continue to work in your life, put off the former self and put on the new life in Christ, trusting and obeying him. 00:39:00.400 --> 00:39:14.400 It may seem overwhelming to begin in submission to God and following in his footsteps, but that is why we seek direction from the Lord, from his word and encouragement within the body of Christ. 00:39:14.400 --> 00:39:24.400 Do you realize that when you come to church, you're encouraged and you're loved and we help one another? We help one another grow in Christ. 00:39:24.400 --> 00:39:34.400 When we sin, when we fall short or when we make a mistake, let us not be discouraged, but let us know that we are continually being made new. 00:39:34.400 --> 00:39:45.400 Let us turn to the Lord for strength and for guidance. This world promotes so many awful and terrible things, hatred, division, abuse. 00:39:45.400 --> 00:39:58.400 The list will go on and on. We could be here all day, couldn't we? But we could also be here all day knowing that God offers life, freedom and clarity, love and transformation. 00:39:58.400 --> 00:40:09.400 And in Christ, there is no Jew or Greek. There is no slave or free. There is no male or female. We're all equal in the eyes of God. 00:40:09.400 --> 00:40:19.400 And it is God who dwells within us. And as we are going to sing this final song here, let us make a joyful noise. 00:40:19.400 --> 00:40:29.400 Let us lift up a shout of praise and be thankful for the salvation that God gives to us for the newness of life in him. 00:40:29.400 --> 00:40:42.400 And I pray that this church will be known for being a church that is faithful to God, faithful to his word and exhibits the love of Christ to others. 00:40:42.400 --> 00:40:47.400 Let transformation from God happen here. Let us pray. 00:40:47.400 --> 00:40:52.400 And gracious Father, we thank you for the transformative power of your love. 00:40:52.400 --> 00:40:59.400 We thank you for sending your son, Jesus the Christ, who gives us salvation through faith in him. 00:40:59.400 --> 00:41:07.400 We praise you God for giving us your word and may we be transformed by it. May we be transformed by you. 00:41:07.400 --> 00:41:20.400 We pray that you will help us put to death the former life, put on the new life, transform our very lives, transform our marriages, our families and beyond. 00:41:20.400 --> 00:41:31.400 Lord, we realize that our families are not perfect. May we exhibit the love of Christ to our families, even if that's our spouse, even if that's our own children. 00:41:31.400 --> 00:41:42.400 May we be that beacon of hope. Help us to see one another as brothers and sisters of Christ, regardless of our social standing in the world. 00:41:42.400 --> 00:41:47.400 No matter what the cultural framework is, Lord, may we honor and glorify you. 00:41:47.400 --> 00:41:50.400 May we love one another as you have loved us. 00:41:50.400 --> 00:42:00.400 May we be a light in this world that shines the light, the love and truth that comes from you to others. 00:42:00.400 --> 00:42:06.400 And all these things we say together in Jesus' name, amen. 00:42:06.400 --> 00:42:10.400 Thank you for tuning in to the Ontario Community Church sermon podcast. 00:42:10.400 --> 00:42:18.400 For more about our church and how you can get involved or support our mission, please visit ontariocommunitychurch.org. 00:42:18.400 --> 00:42:31.400 May God's blessings be with you.