Sermon Podcast on Colossians 4

BOUNDARIES FOR AUTHORITY, FREEDOM, AND HEIRARCHY

 “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men” – 1 Peter 2:13    “… although if you can gain your freedom, do so.” – 1 Corinthians 7:21 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. – Galatians 5:1 But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature…”Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Galatians 5:13-14 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus… heirs according to the promise.  Galatians 3:28-29  Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  Ephesians 5:21

JESUS IS TO BE LORD OF MY PARTICULAR EARTHLY RELATIONSHIPS

3:23 -24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

You are a CHILD of the King, yet choose to  SUBJECT YOURSELF and serve others in your given context… for the sake of the Lord – It is the Lord your serve.

WHY DOES PAUL SAY WHAT HE DOES ABOUT WOMEN & SLAVES ?

“[Colossians] household regulations were shaped to promote socially respectable behaviors as a platform for social security, apologetics, and evangelism…Against the view held by some that Paul is here legitimating the structures of the day, [Just as today, Paul’s teachings were] challenging to the Roman Household’s way of life. Male leadership and power were assumed in the ancient world.  [But Paul says] Submit to one another out of reference for Christ. Instead of grounding the instruction to the wife in her husband’s authority, power, leadership, or status in the hierarchy, the ground is radically otherwise: it is grounded in the Lord’s way of life. Hence, Paul provides an alternative to the status systems of his world, which also would have been heard in liberating and protective ways by slave women in the household.” – Scot McKnight

            “No other code we have discovered from the ancient world requires husbands to love
             their wives” – Douglas Moo

Restructuring human institutions is not the gospel – it is the long-term outworking of the implications of the gospel – as Christians apply the good news to the culture around them.

WHAT SHOULD BE MY FOCUS  – WHOEVER I AM?

4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Paul spends 11 verses pointing out people by name because every one of their lives and journeys mattered to him. His co-workers were his friends regardless of their societal status. It is a beautiful reminder that as the church, we are all in this together.

Music Credit: https://music.apple.com/us/album/hold-your-head-up/186244684?i=186244691