Above All: Colossians 3:18-21

Above All: Colossians 3:18-4:1

It Starts in the Home

Pastor Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

7-31-2022

Cinderella

A little girl watched the Disney classic, “Cinderella” for the first time and was excited to tell her Grandmother about it the next day. She told her all about the wicked stepmother, and the prince, and the glass slipper. She asked her grammy if she remembered how it ended. She said, “Of course dear, Cinderella and the prince lived happily ever after.” The little girl shook her head and said, “Oh no they didn’t. They got married!”

This little girl’s response seems more and more the prevailing attitude in our culture about marriage and the family. But God had set the pattern and has given us instructions about how to live out this new life in Christ in the hardest place of all - the home.

Paul is making the point in Colossians 3 that we have taken off the clothes of the old nature and now we are to put on the clothes of the new nature. People should be able to tell by our behavior that we are different and follow Jesus.

Yesterday we went to Gordon Ramsay’s Burgers in Chicago yesterday. Gordon wasn’t there (or was he?) but everything they do there represents the excellence that Gordon expects and his reputation demands.

Review

Paul begins with the fact that since we have died with Christ, have been raised with Christ, are hidden in Christ, and will appear with Him in glory, we should set our hearts/affections and minds/wills on things that are above.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

He then gives two lists of behaviors that we are to put to death or take off. The first list consists of sins of desires: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed and the second the sins associated with our words: rage, anger, malice, slander, filthy language, and lying to one other.

This is not just about individual sanctification. He makes it clear that this is about being a new creation, the Body of Christ, which Jesus is the head. And in Christ, we are one body. The racial, religious, social, and cultural distinctions no longer matter. In this new body:

“Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” (Col 3:9-11)

He then tells the Colossians how to live out this new found unity corporately in the Church by putting on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love.

This patience and love is exhibited by bearing with one another and by forgiving one another just as Christ has forgiven us.

He calls us to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts and the Word of God dwell richly. He encourages the church, not just the pastor, to teach and admonish each other by worshipping God with thanksgiving.

Then he ends this section with one of my favorite Bible verses:

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col 3:17)

This emphasizes again that Paul isn’t interested in having us follow a bunch of rules. He gives a principle. When you are confused about whether or not you could or should do something, you can simply ask, “Can I do this in the name of the Lord Jesus?”

Paul has focused on how God grows us individually and how God grows us corporately. He will now turn to meddling and give instructions on how to live this out among our families in our homes.

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Turn to Colossians 3:18.

Prayer

Household Codes

The family was seen as a foundational part of a well ordered Greco-Roman society. Many philosophers had proposed household codes to help the home run smoother and thrive.

Paul follows suit but the instructions he gives are very different from that of Aristotle, Pliny, or even Josephus. He gives distinctly Christian directives for three pairs of relationships - wives/husbands (marriage), parent/children, and slaves/and masters.

If we had more time, I would take each of these a Sunday at a time. We will look at the wife/husbands and parent/child today and next week will talk about slavery and how to work for the Lord.

The main theme of these verses is the Lordship of Christ. As we live under the Lordship of Christ, our relationships are transformed and others will be able to see a difference in us.