getting pretty close to going live. Wonderful. All right. Oh, starting the yawns are ready. I'm glad that you're, you're here even though you might be a little tired. Well, good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and devotions is where every day you and I we get together. We have a little bit of coffee, we get into God's word and we it's not good that like we're not just doing this to check something off. But we actually want to grow our love for the Lord. And this year 2022 Lord willing, we'll make it from the book acts through Second Thessalonians so we have some coffee, we'll pray and let's get into God's word sound good.
Both of us are not going over the the mics here this morning. All right. So it's a short passage. Colossians chapter three, beginning of verse 18. What didn't we do? We didn't pray. I think it's pretty important to pray before we read that we need the Spirit God we thank you so much. For Holy Spirit. Thank you for your word. Thank you for being a God who is so incredibly gracious to us. You instruct us and you love us. Please, Lord, teach us to follow in your ways in Jesus's name, Amen. All right, so we're at Colossians chapter three. You get the big old print Bible. Colossians Colossians chapter three. And we'll begin at verse 18. And we'll go through chapter four, verse one, Nathan, why don't you read 18 through 21 and I'll read 22 through chapter four verse one.
Here, you know why? To your husband, as it's fitting in the Lord. Love Your Wives and do not be bitter. toward them. Children are all fine Father's Book your children has become.
One servants obey, in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyes service as men pleasers. But in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men. Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done. And there is no partiality. Masters give your bondservants what is just unfair, knowing that you also have a master in heaven. Well, three questions first a what is this? B, what's the and C what are we called to do? I'm just gonna say it's gonna be kind of hard. To do be right because each one of these are giving a different command to someone else.
Yeah, the colonial period out, there were a bunch of slaves and mostly Fritos or molasses. This was you should do this, but the thing is, they don't need the next. That's right. Just look at the first one.
Yeah, that's right. You know, there's it's often easy to tell someone else what they ought to be doing. But you're right, the slave owners would not be very happy if the masters were implored. Give your bondservants what is just unfair. Was it just unfair to enslave a person for their entire lives and not give them their wages for their work? Was it just unfair for them to be kidnapped and stolen from their lands? Even if they were kidnapped and stolen by other people? No. Right? None of this was just unfair. So you're right to call out the hypocrisy of it. Actually, there's a great book sometime I'll have you read for history probably when you're in high school, written by a nice man named Albert Robitaille. It's called slave religion in the antebellum South wonderful book that actually talks about how slave owners didn't want their slaves to be preached the whole counsel of God, but only wanted passages like 22 through 25 to be read. So you're right in being able to sniff that out pretty fast. Let's go from top to bottom them. So verse 18, who is he talking about in verse 18? fives, right. So he's talking about the women in the church, those who are married and what is the command from Jesus for the ladies in the church? Yeah, so should they submit to every single man in the church? Yeah, notice it doesn't say just husband Submit. To your
what is the former say? Nope. Submit to your there's a very small but important word, own husbands. Right? Can does daddy have the authority to go into another man's household and start bossing around his wife? No. Wives are to submit to their own husband. And so the idea submit, I don't think is, is the idea for necessarily like obey. That's what children are told to do. But to submit why would they submit what is the motivation behind that? The second part of that verse what is the motivation behind Christian wives submitting to their husbands?
Well, yes, husbands need to love their wives. Let's stay at verse 18. Here. What is the motivation at the end of verse 18? as is fitting in the Lord, that Jesus find it degrading to submit? No, no, right. He submitted to his father's well, he submitted He humbled Himself. And so I think submitting what's right in the eyes of the Lord submitting because this is the pattern of the Lord. Does this make women somehow have less value? No, do we treat mom like she's lesser than us in or lesser than me? In the house? Absolutely not. Right, she's she's a prized woman. And so we need to make sure that we get a little bit of runny nose or we need to make sure that we don't confuse this that somehow her value is less because her role is different. Isn't this one thing that Daddy has to work with you on time and time again, but you need to what? Obey and honor your mama, right? She's of high value. Verse 19, God turns from wives and now who does he talk to? Know There's kind of two different parts here. Right? The first command is to what? To love your wives. You know, the Bible is not the only place in the Greco Roman world where they would have lists of, you know, teachers telling their followers, here's how you should run your home. But you know what, in the in all those lists, you know what they never say. There's not a single list of that time that tells husbands to love their wives. I don't know how. Well yeah, you're right. And, but in the Greco Roman world, it wasn't based on love. It was based on a contractual agreement. We're going to do these things. We're going to have children to procreate to continue on the family legacy, stuff like that. But here, God is specifically commending husbands to love their wives. And you're the translation we have the New King James here it says And do not be bitter towards them. Did you know that sometimes it's easy for husbands to get bitter towards their wives. Right. Oh, she's not doing what I want. She's not giving me the things that I want. She's not doing things the way I want them to be. She doesn't look like this person or she annoys me with these things. A whole lot of stuff that husbands I've seen get really bitter at their wives about and so do you know what happens when that when they do that? They get harsh with their wives. They start demanding from their wives. You must do this, you must do that. And they almost become like little tyrants in their home. And God says, and no, that's not how the Christian household runs. Well, he turns from husbands and wives mommy, and now he turns to from mommies and daddies to who in verse 20. Children
All right, obey your parents in all things. Easy, son. Oh, it's very easy said it's hard to do. Yeah. Is it easy to bend your will and obey someone else? No, right. We we have this trouble at the house with all the children sometimes don't me. But it's why would you do this? Why would you obey in all things? What's the motivation for you? Because it's pleasing to the Lord. That's right.
All you're thinking in Ephesians right for this is the first commandment with a promise, right, but this one it doesn't have that. Yeah, but you're right in Ephesians. It says there's a promise with a two. That's right. And then daddy's right in verse 21. What are daddy's told? Yeah, could it be easy for daddy to be overly strict with you to kind of push you and annoy you and and kind of be too harsh with you? And then what could that happen with you if I if I demand absolute perfection from you? What could happen in a child's heart? What would it look like to get discouraged?
Can't be happy happy to play with the toy. Or they can come on the floor.
So there's all sorts of ways that daddies can provoke their children, right to discourage them. One of them is perfectionism or impatience. You think this could apply to mommies who? That's possible. Well, let's talk about slaves. Do you think it's weird? that the Bible talks about slaves?
Yeah, right, every if you saw three people, right, any three Roman people, most likely, at this time, two out of three of those were slaves. Right? So he's talking to the real life situation in the church. So what he tells slaves a few things, right? What does he tell them?
Awesome. Bam, all things according to the flesh. All right.
So they're to obey and all things right. So just like children are commanded to obey and all things and who is there? Who are they to obey? The most? The, the masters according to the flesh, who is the master? Not according to the flesh? God right, according to the Spirit. So even the slave the slaves, Master does he ever master That's right. That's right. Do not and not with what
shall we say what do you
know? Right? So, so do it because you actually fear God, not just because you want to do it when your boss is looking. Alright, so he says actually actually work hard. And whatever you do, do it heartily. As to who?
So Lord and not to men. All right, it's as to Lord. Their work is to be to the Lord, not not as to men, right? So they're working and they're working hard, but they know that they have a master in heaven. So they're working as for him, and then it's this I love verse 24. It gives so much hope in verse 24. It gives a reason for why they would work hard but is it the same verse 24?
Right so they have a different master, they have a different Lord the Lord is Jesus Christ. And Will Jesus give them a just and fair reward? Yeah.
Wendy, most slaves would use that, but they actually used a full dish, and he wasn't a slave. They just bought it so that they could wait. And they want to have his freedom whenever he wanted it. Like well after he launched the trade, but after that he have a freedom whenever you want it. Oh, really? Yes. And then
I wonder what book that was? She was reading. Oh, Amis fortune. Oh, okay. Yeah, I haven't read that book. And a mom has been reading it to you guys. Oh, you guys are done. Oh, wow. Look at that. It is, well, that would be a very different type of thing. Right. I still think that type of slavery is immoral because of how the slaves came to the United States. I understand they didn't like slavery. What I'm saying is even that could be what's called paternalistic, right. But even this idea that we could buy a slave especially when it comes from what's called Man stealing. So the Old Testament calls it kidnapping that's punishable by death in the Old Testament. So it's no bueno right but but these slaves who even in the in the US who found themselves, having their wages stolen, and having not being treated justly. They could still know that the work that they were doing, even though they might have a cruel master on this life, they were storing up treasures in heaven. Because those slaves who believed God's word, and did it. We're acting as better Christians and they're masters. Yeah. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done and there is no partiality. Right, God's going to judge both slave master and slave. So well, let's go ahead and just let's talk about some things that we ought to do. As we finish this up. Let's wrap this up real quick. You go home and mommy says, Oh, I know that you read about the household call code how Christians are to behave in the family. So Nathan, how does that apply to your life? Okay, so give me a specific example of how that would work in your life. All right, so, so do the chores that mom has for you get your work done. obey her. What about for daddy? What would this look like? For Daddy What couple things are is Daddy commanded? But
okay, so, so can I still be a little strict with you guys? I shouldn't provoke you guys to wrath or or discouragement. You know? So love mommy. I like that one and try not to provoke you all. And then it's probably not a good idea to go home and start telling mommy what she ought to do. Because it could be dishonouring to her and in your tone. But how would God command mommies? What what are they to do? What is God calling them in their lives?
Well, to submit themselves to their own husband, right? Not not. Yeah, Mama to submit to daddy, right? Because this is fitting in the Lord. Right? It's it's the way that God has designed the household. And then lastly, if you have a job, you're not quite a slave but if but if you're under a contractual agreement, what are you to do? Do the work well?
Yes.
Yeah, and then if you're a boss, if you're, again, not quite a master, but this somewhat analogous, if you're a boss today, how you to treat the people who are under you. Treat them justly. And fairly right pay them their wages good.
No, I do have lots of influence people.
Oh, when I was listening to Dale Carnegie with you guys. Yeah, there's some good things about that book and some things I don't like but
one of the things was when your boss so most bosses will try to like say what you assume will be the top but oh, you're equal to me. I'm just wanting simply it. It doesn't matter. But
do you remember how we talked about what Christ like leadership looks like? How do you lead like Jesus? Do you lead by power? What is what is the way of leadership? With what? Not suffering with love, service and humility. Jesus leads us as the husband of his church as the master of his kingdom with love, service and humility, but yet he is also sovereign. Isn't that amazing? Let's go ahead and pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day. Thank you for Jesus Christ. Thank you for the way in which you have ordered your household your church Lord, we pray that you would please reform families redeem. Lord, we pray in Jesus's name, Amen. Well, may the Lord bless you today. May you walk in the calling that God has given you? May you go with the Holy Spirit. Doing all your work knowing that is of eternal value and we'll see you next time. Bye bye
Transcribed by https://otter.ai