Colossians 3:18-4:1
Intro Questions
- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
Other Resources:
Transformation And The Renewing of Our Minds Colossians 3 https://virtualbiblestudy.com/lessons/colossians/3/
Prison Epistles
Jesus: The Model of Our Living
Colossians 3:18-4:1
YOUR WORK IS IMPORTANT by Doug Parsons— "He who labors as he prays, lifts his heart to God with his hands," wrote Bernard of Clairvaux in 1130 A.D. He might have written, "...in his callused hands." Our work, and our jobs define our lives and tell us in part why we're in the world.
Many of the most popular songs across the years speak of how important our jobs are! Work too often becomes our identity. Some years ago there was a country and western song - a kind of crass song — whose opening line was "Take this job and..." well, you know the rest, of course. Obviously, the songwriter was not happy with his job. Tennessee Ernie Ford once sang, "You load sixteen tons and what do you get? /Another day older and deeper in debt./St. Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go/I owe my soul to the company store."
One of my favorite bumper stickers amends the song of the Disney dwarfs to say, "I owe, I owe, so off to work I go!" It happens day after day.
What a great gift to have a job, to work till we're "sick of livin' and scared of dyin" and then to come to Christ's church and be the people of God together. Bother being at work and being the people of God are most necessary to think well of ourselves. Here are some guidelines on how to experience daily satisfaction from your work:
Decide what needs doing. Make a list of what you hope to accomplish in one day. Number these tasks in their order of importance. Tackle a tough job first and try to complete it. Upon its conclusion, place a checkmark on your list - it's a mini-reward.
Deal with trivia. Don't waste time making decisions on every letter or article. Handle the things you can and place less important things in a box to be sorted later. Avoid rifling through piles again and again.
Handle interruptions gracefully. Give your undivided attention to an interruption. Consider them "God-sent." Answer a phone call with your name. If you are in the middle of something important ask to call them right back.
Share the work. Beware of the "Lone Ranger" syndrome; there are some jobs others can do as well. Delegate a task and acknowledge its completion. If you are the only one with a certain skill, train one or two others in it.
Take a break. You'll get more done by taking "time-out" mid-morning and mid-afternoon if possible. You'll return to work mentally and physically refreshed and measurably more productive.
Every worker in the ranks of the labor force can take encouragement from the words of Jesus Christ: "My Father is always working, and I too must work" (John 5:17).
Opening Questions — Get Us Thinking:
- We live in a time where there is lots of confusion about what is right and wrong. What should determine what is “normal” and the standard for “Christian” society or church?
Instructions for Christian Households — Colossians 3:18-4:1
18Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21Fathers,c do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.
1 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
Research Questions — “Dig Deeper” to find God’s Will
- God is ... What do we learn about God?
- We are ... What do we learn about people?
- What attitudes have you seen in a family or on the job that you would label as “Christian”?
- How do Paul’s commands to wives/husbands, children/fathers/ and slaves/masters address our tendency to do the opposite?
- What is Paul's (Inspired by God) view of husbands and wives and their relationship with each other (vv. 18-19)? Why would Paul instruct women to be submissive in verse 18?
- The wife is to submit to the husband “as is fitting in the Lord” (v. 18) From what you learned earlier in the chapter, what would that kind of submission include?
- How does "submission" relate to Jesus' life on earth? Why are these commands to submit and love unconditional; that is, not dependent on the behavior of the spouse?
- How does "in the Lord" modify the meaning of "fitting" in verse 18?
- What was the typical male role in Roman society and how did it affect Christian marriages?
- How were husbands in particular and Paul's audience in general to understand the command to love (v. 19)?
- Why is the basic command to children: “Obey your parents” (v. 20)? How is the Christian view of children different than first-century society? Why would "fathers" receive a special command about their children and what they are not to do (v. 21)?
- How is "pleases" (v. 20) used elsewhere in Scripture and what does that imply?
- Can you shed some light on the command in verse 20 to "obey"?
- Contrast "discouraged" (v. 21) with Paul's other commands to fathers on the treatment of children. What attitudes and actions of parents embitter or discourage their children?
- What was the state of slavery in the first century? What is Paul's and, therefore, Scriptures view of slavery (v. 22)? When and how are slaves to obey their masters (vv. 22-25)? With what motives? How are Christian slaves to serve their masters (see verse 22)
- What would a slave imply from the word "reward" in verse 24?
- To who does the term "anyone" (v. 25) refer to?
- Why address masters (v. 4:1)? What would it demand of a master to “provide your slaves with what is right and fair” What does "fair" mean in verse 4:1? What is the motivation for fair treatment (v. 4:1)?
Reflective Questions — Live it today.
- How does freedom in Christ relate to obedience (v. 22)?
- How should knowing “that you also have a Master in heaven” affect a master’s attitude toward himself and his slaves (3:25-4:1)?
- What is Paul wanting slaves to understand about work with regard to the assigned tasks of a slave who is now a Christian (v. 23)?
- How would obeying these instructions change how you do your job as an employee or employer (3:22-4:1
- How would following the instructions in 3:18-4:1 demonstrate that “you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority”
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage? How will you apply it to your life this week?
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this?
- How does this equip us be a better disciple and help empower us to “make disciples”?
Plan your work — then work your plan.
Heart and Home
Barring some unexpected happening, more than half of all
first-time marriages will end in divorce. The children from these failed marriages will
grow up finding it more difficult to trust anyone. They'll be uncertain of what to
do or when to do it. They will be victims of our only socially accepted form of
child abuse. Does it seem to you that we are already experiencing the
beginning of the divorce fallout?
According
to the Family Research Council, if the current trend continues, more than
60% of all children born after 1987 will spend part of their "growing up
years" in a single-parent home. Right now, one child in four lives
with only one parent, usually the mother. How many kids in our congregation
live in a single-parent family?
Although
the numbers are hard to document, social scientists are estimating that over
25% of all American children are living in a physically and/or sexually abusive
home. And, it seems some of the worst offenders are rigid fundamentalists who
defend their twisted actions as a God-ordained right "to best the devil
out of their
children."
In a special issue on children, Fortune magazine revealed,
"The most reliable predictor of crime in a neighborhood is not poverty or
race, but fatherlessness." Some children are fatherless due to divorce, death, or desertion,
some are fatherless because of their Dad's overinvolvement in his career, and some are fatherless because
their dads don't know what to do. Do you know any of those dads?
A recent Newsweek article stated, "Many of today's
parents were raised in the 60s, the age of permissiveness. Their children were born in
the age of affluence, the 80s, when materialism was rampant. It's an unholy
combination." Where will our young families learn "how" to be
Christian families?
Malachi warned that if the, hearts of fathers and children
aren't turned to each other, we will experience a curse in the land. Is that what we are experiencing?
The National Center for Fathering has, found that young men have
a strong desire to be more involved in the lives of their children, contrary to the
new book, Real Men Don't Bond. They want desperately to bond to their children, but they don't know
howl
Who
will help them? God's church! It's time to move beyond analyzing and
hypothesizing. While we are debating whether we can clap in a worship
service, sing during communion, or mention Jesus during December, this
generation is lost in a serious struggle for direction - They need you to help
show them the way.
THE PLACE OF
FAMILY TRADITION
by Norman Bales
There's
a picture of my father on a shelf just behind my office chair. In the picture
he's wearing a western hat cocked slightly to the right. Last week I wore a
baseball cap while doing some yard work. I happened to glance at myself in the
mirror and noticed that I was wearing my cap cocked slightly to the right. When
I thought about it, I realized that family tradition determined the peculiar
angle of my cap. As a matter of fact I imitate my father in many of the things
I do. I'm far better educated than he was, but in my unguarded moments I make
the same grammatical errors in my speech (I say "ain't," use double
negatives and I often feel inclined to substitute "them" for
"those" even though I know "them" is not a possessive
pronoun). I sometimes mispronounce words the same way he did. A wheel barrow
becomes a "wheel bar;" Ann "arns" my clothes and barbed
wire becomes "bob war." I also tend to emulate many of his social
patterns, much to the irritation of my wife. Family tradition is strong.
Family tradition probably has more
influence on the adoption of ethical standards among young people than any
other one factor. Recent studies among adolescents indicate they often adopt
the lifestyles and behavior patterns of their parents. (See The Gospel
According to Generation X by Dodd, Lewis and Tippens). If a child's parents say
one thing and do another, their offspring will generally pick up on their
behavior, not their rhetoric. Certainly, the church has a strong role to play in
character formation. We need to do everything we can to communicate Biblical
ideals. Sometimes a preacher, a youth minister and other church leaders can be
quite effective in mentoring young people whose parents are poor role models.
Even so, parents generally have more influence than anyone else. We like to pin
the blame on the media, peer pressure and public institutions when our kids get
in trouble. It makes us very uncomfortable to deal with our own parenting
shortcomings as a likely cause of a child's irreverent behavior.
Children are perceptive. They are
quick to detect phoniness. That's why it's important for us to make sure that
our lifestyles and beliefs match up as closely as possible.
The educational system under the law
of Moses was constructed on the premise that standards of behavior are most
effectively communicated through family tradition. "Keep these words that
I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk
about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and
when you rise" (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). "Like father like son" is
not an empty phrase. What kind of family traditions are being developed in your
home?"
What Makes A Family Complete
Colossians 3:18-4:1
Immanuel – God Coming Is Our
Basis for Hope
Spirituality and
Relationships are Closely Connected.
Reality and Relationships
are Counter-Cultural.
Husbands
and Wives: Love and Submission (Col. 3:18-19)
Parents
and Children: Encouragement and Obedience (Col. 3:20-21)
Masters
and Servants: Honesty and Devotion (Col. 3:22-4:1)
Attitudes and Relationships
are Clearly Challenging.
Submit
to ordained authority.
Permit
God's spirit to smooth our rough edges.
Commit
to excellence in whatever we do.
Admit
our accountability to Christ.
Meaning and Relationships
are Christ-centered.
4 Ways To Glorify God At Work
Here are four ways you can glorify God while you’re at work.
A Godly Work Ethic
If we claim to be Christian at work and yet don’t work like one, we’re showing our co-workers that Christians are no different from the rest of the world. What if a Christian faced a decision to either do something unethical (wrong) or face the risk of losing their job? Of course, the Christian would have to risk losing their job to obey what they know to be right. A godly work ethic is one that speaks volumes about our faith in God and that we are not going to compromise with sin.
Giving it Your All
The Christian should not even hesitate to give it all they’ve got at work as the Apostle Paul writes, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Col 3:23-34). This is basically what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 9:10, where he wrote, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.”
Being Salt and Light
Jesus tells His followers that we are the light of the world but also the salt of the earth, however “if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (Matt 5:13b) and since we are the light of the world that shines into the darkness because “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”(Matt 5:15-16).
Be an Ambassador
Once a person has trusted in Christ, they have become a new creation in Christ (2nd Cor 5:17), and as new creations and children of God, “we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2nd Cor 5:20). An ambassador represents their own country and our country is heavenly and not an earthly one, so if we are truly ambassadors for Christ at work, others might be drawn to this new kingdom, the New Jerusalem, which will descend out of heaven someday (Rev 21:1-2).
Conclusion
We are created to glorify God and we can do that at work by having a sterling work ethic; by working as hard as we can, even when no one’s looking; when we get our salt out of the shaker and our light out from under a basket; and be an ambassador for Christ in the hopes of bringing others into the kingdom. These can all glorify God.
May God richly bless you,
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