Playing By The Rules Series

Text: Colossians 3:18-4:1

Title: Playing by the rules

1.Rules for Christian employers. (4:1)

2.Rules for Christian employees (3:22-25)

3.Rules for Christian fathers (3:21)

4.Rules for Christian children (3:20)

5.Rules for Christian husbands (3:19)

6.Rules for Christian wives (v18)

1.Rules for Christian employers (4:1)

Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

1.Playing by the rules- be generous employers.

2..Principle to remember: Treat those who work for you as you would have your heavenly father treat you.

3.If you want your heavenly father to be generous to you – then you be generous to those who work for you.

4.Who are those who work for us?

Example:Baby sitters, waitresses, hairdressers, paper-delivery person…

The rule is- be generous

2.Rules for Christian employees (3:22-25)

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.”

1.Playing by the rules –be excellent employees

2.Do your job to the best of your ability

3.Principle to remember: Serve your employer as you would serve the Lord.

4.Age-old problem: Serving your employer as you would serve the Lord only when they are looking at you.

5.Act busy the boss is looking.

6.God is always looking and He will repay you either for doing your best or for doing your worst.

7.How might God repay you for doing your job to the best of your ability?

He may promote you. (Joseph, Joshua, David, Daniel)

He may help you to keep your job

He may get you another job.

He may provide for you while you are waiting for another job.

3.Rules for Christian fathers (v21)

"Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged."

1.Playing by the rules – Fathers -Be encouraging to your children

2.Principle to remember- Earthly fathers are meant to reflect the character of our heavenly fathers.

3.How to be more encouraging to our children

“Don’t overcorrect your children…

“Avoid irritating your children…

“Do not harass your children…

“Do not rouse your children to resentment…”

Why?

“lest their spirit should be broken…”

“they grow up feeling inferior and frustrated…”

“become discouraged and quit trying.”

4. Rules for Christian children (v20)

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

1.Playing by the rules – Children- be obedient to your parents.

2.The 5th commandment- “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

3.The first commandment with a promise

5.Rules for Christian husbands (v19)

"Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them."

1.Playing by the rules –Husbands love your wife

2.Principle to live by: Husbands are to love their wife as Christ loves the church.

3.To love her means –to esteem her, to cherish her, to favor her, to honor her, to respect her, to accept her, to prize her, to relish her, to be devoted to her…

4.The love spoken of here is not a love based on feelings but a love that is rooted in the mind and will of the husband.

5.The “and do not be harsh with them” part of the verse means- “do not let your love for your wife turn sour or bitter.”

6.Question: How does anything end up turning sour or bitter?

7.By neglect! (You leave the milk out for to long)

8.What causes neglect? Busyness with other things.

Illustration: Five components of a healthy marriage

By Rick Warren

Pastor, the marriages in our churches – including our own – are either growing together or drifting apart. There’s no middle ground. Your church has a unique opportunity to encourage healthy, growing marriages. How do flat marriages rekindle their romance? The same way Jesus tells us to rekindle our love for him in Revelation 2:4-5. Jesus says, “You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen? Repent and do the things you did at first.”

First, you remember the good times. You do again what you did when you first fell in love. Then, you repent or deliberately change how you treat your spouse. But what are those actions that you “did at first”? Married people did five things when they first fell in love. And they’ll need to do it again if they are going to recapture that romance: attention, affirmation, affection, adventure, and accordance (spiritual oneness) they had when they first fell in love.