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May 10, 2009AM (Mother’s Day)

Colossians 3:18-21

Colossal Families

 

We are back to our series on the Power to Be Like Christ.

 Up until now most of what Paul has written has focused on the awesome God we know

 in Christ Jesus.

  He is all powerful and victorious over everything that separates us from God.

   He has the ability to transform a life.

    Colossal Victory, Colossal Celebration, Colossal Hope, Colossal Thanksgiving and

    Deliverance, Colossal Life, Colossal Freedom.

    All this is wonderful and amazing.

     But there is a reason why Paul wants us to be like Christ.

      To be like Christ changes us.

       The dominion of sin has been crushed through Jesus.

        God said to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”  (Genesis 3:15 NIV)

         The work of Jesus is to crush Satan with a death blow.

          And we can be like Jesus in this crushing of Satan.

           “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.  May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”  (Romans 16:20)

           I wonder this morning if you have experienced Jesus’ death blow to sin?

            Do you know Him like that?

             Does He have the exclusive rights to your life?

              Have you “put to death … what is earthly in you”? (3:5)

Everything Paul has written in this letter was designed to bring us to that place.

 He knew that something huge depended on us being like Christ.

  Something we find in the few verses we are looking at this morning.

   Paul reduces the entirety of the universe down to three people.

    He boils all of creation down to three people.

     Forget about everything else for a moment here.

      Why do you need to experience God’s power to be like Christ?

       Because someone very close to you is depending on it.

        You will be able to pick out who that is in our Scripture. (READ vs 18-21)

A wife, a husband, a child, a parent needs to see Jesus in you!

 What Paul wrote here was absolutely earth shattering.

  What he wrote demolished the society of his day.

   Nothing could be the same at home after Paul wrote these words.

    “Wives be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”

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

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

       With a few strokes of his quill Paul revolutionized the world.

        What was life like as Paul wrote these words?

         Life was totally lopsided.

          Life was out of balance, out of sync.

           The wife and children carried all the responsibilities and duties.

            The husband monopolized the privileges and authority.

             For the first time in history someone spoke against that imbalance.

              Under Jewish law a woman was an object.

               She was the possession of the husband.

               She was no different than his material goods.

                The wife had no legal rights.

                 Under Jewish law the husband could divorce his wife for no reason.

                  The wife, however, had no rights to put her husband away.

                   In Greek culture the wife lived in seclusion from her husband.

                    He was free to come and go as he wanted.

                     She was not allowed out alone in public.

                      She was expected to serve him and be faithful to him.

                       But he could play the field with as many women as desired.

                        All the privileges belonged to the husband.

                         All the duties belonged to the wife.

And then came the children.

 Children were under the domination of their parents.

  Under Roman law parents could do anything they wanted to the child.

   The child could be sold into slavery.

    The child was a laborer.

     If no longer useful the father could condemn a child to death.

      He could even perform the execution himself if he desired.

       Young people you think you have it rough.

What did Paul write into this formula for families that was so different?

 Jesus!  Just Jesus!

  Jesus the Lord!

   Jesus the Author of family life!

    Jesus, the Saviour and Redeemer of lives.

     Jesus, the Friend of sinners.

      Jesus the home-maker.

       He has delivered our homes from being a war zone, to an environment of peace.

        If that is not your experience at home it is because the presence of Jesus

        has been shut out.

         Someone has kept their heart closed to Jesus.

          It could be a wife, or a father, or a child.

           Might you be that person?

           If not then you have a high calling.

            Paul tells you what it is.

 

I   Let’s start first with the child.

     If you are living at home with a parent or parents I want you to stand.

      You who aren’t paying the mortgage and utilities for the roof over your head.

       You know who you are.

        You need to stand because I want to know you are hearing this.

         If you refuse to stand you need to hear it even more.

          Children if you are disobedient at home you will be disobedient elsewhere.

           Disobedience creates tension, lawlessness, confusion, unrest.

           Children obey your parents.

            When you do you instill Christ’s peace into the home.

             Seek your parent’s discipline.

              What a wonderful gift to give to your parents.

               What a wonderful way to say “Happy Mother’s Day!”

Parents, your calling is to command obedience from your children.

 If they do not learn to obey your authority, you handicap them.

  They are going to flounder in the work-place and society.

   Parents you are to prepare your children to live under authority.

    Through you they learn to obey and respect their heavenly Father.

     To let a child be disrespectful is a form of parental abuse.

      It is evidence of a lack of love.

       It is evidence that you care more for yourself than your child.

        It is evidence that you want to please yourself more than Jesus.

         An obedient child is pleasing to the Lord.

          To tolerate disrespect will eventually lead to other abuse.

           It is a sin against God to let your child be disobedient.

           Discipline is an expression of love.

            What a wonderful gift to give to your child.

 

II  OK wives, your turn to stand.

     “Wives be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”

      When there is pain and conflict in marriage, life is miserable.

       But there is power experienced in submission and sacrifice.

        That is when you are most like Christ.

         He submitted to the will of the Father.

          He embraced the life of sacrifice even to the point of the cross.

           To be subject to your husbands is the highest calling.

           You don’t even have to love your husband.

            But before you try and lynch me and the men say preach it brother, look

            at Ephesians 5:21.

             In that verse Paul is calling for mutual submission.

              “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

               The power to be like Christ is essential for submission.

A woman went with her husband to the doctor’s office.  After the check-up the doctor dismissed the man and talked with the wife alone.  He said, “Your husband is very sick and has horrible stress.  If you don’t do the following, he will surely die.  Each morning, fix him a healthy breakfast; for lunch make him a nutritious meal; for dinner prepare something extra nice every night.  Don’t burden him with any chores.  Allow him to come home and put his feet up.  Don’t discuss your problems with him because that will increase his stress.  If you can do this for him for the next 6 months…I think he may recover.”

On the way home, the husband asked his wife, “What did the doctor say?”

She looked at him and as tenderly as possible, said, “The doctor said you’re going to die.”

                Ladies, don’t manipulate your husbands.

                 That is not God’s plan for the home.

                  His plan is for you to yield your rights.

                   The same plan is for the children.

                    Ladies you have stood long enough.

 

III Now it’s the husband’s turn.

     Men you knew this was coming.

      Before you stand I have a song for you to watch. (play video)

       Now husbands, I want you to stand.

        You are called to love your wives.

         This is not a common, self-gratifying love.

          This is a love that is tender.

           The word Paul uses comes from the Hebrew.

           It is to breathe after, to dote over.

            It also comes from the Greek word Phileo.

             It is a love of the will.

              It says, “No matter what I am going to love this woman.”

               But it is also a love of the heart.

                It is a tender love that desires her best.

                 It is holding in high esteem and seeing great value.

                  You are to delight in your wife.

                   This is loving like Jesus loved.

                    You can’t love that way in your own strength.

                     It is possible only through the indwelling presence of Jesus.

Paul wrote in Ephesians, “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” (Ephesians 5:25)

                      Husbands you are to sacrifice yourself for your wife.

                       And you are to do so without being harsh.

                       Don’t be angry or bitter about it.

Paul didn’t have Hockey Night in Canada to contend with.

 But in Paul’s day men still had their games.

  Paul was saying, “Sacrifice that which could dominate your life for your wife.”

   And find pleasure in the sacrifice.

    The power to be like Christ is essential for our homes.

A dad and his teenage son were watching the unity candle being lit in a marriage ceremony.  The bride and groom proceeded to blow out their own candle and leave the one larger candle burning symbolizing their one-ness.  The teenager asked his dad why they each blew out their own separate candles.  Dad responded:  “It means, no more old flames!”

Are you experiencing “The Power to Be Like Christ”?

 There is only one way to have a Colossal Family.

  It is as you yield your life to Jesus.

   Only in Jesus can you live the life that Paul calls you to live.

    Are you keeping your family from being the Colossal influence our society needs?

     Experiencing personally The Power to be Like Christ is not just for yourself.

      Jesus wants you to touch your parent, your spouse, your child.

       Are you ready to accept His challenge?

        Be the mother, the father, the child, the husband, the wife, God is calling

        you to be.