Knowing Life: Relating God's Way

Knowing Life: Relating God’s Way    

Colossians 3 and 4

9-22-19

I. Submit to God’s Design. (Colossians 3:18-21)

1. Submission is voluntarily yielding to another for their good and God’s glory.

John 14:15 – “Jesus said, ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments.’” 

Mark 10:45 – “Jesus said, ‘For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’”

“Submission” - Placing my mission under His mission.

2. All believers submit to God, one another, God-given authority and sometimes pre-Christians.

Ephesians 5:18, 21 - “…be filled with the Spirit…. submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

Romans 13:1-2 - “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities… there is no authority except from God… whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed…those who resist will incur judgment.”

1 Timothy 5:17 - “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.”

Acts 26:25 – “Paul said, ‘I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words.’”

3. We never submit to sin.

Acts 5:29 “…Peter and the other apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’”

Husbands/Fathers Known For:

1. Christ-like leadership.

Matthew 20:25-28 – “Jesus said, ‘…the rulers… lord it over the (people)…not be so among you….whoever would be great… must be your servant… whoever would be first among you must be your slave even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’”

2. Christ-like love.

Romans 5:8 - “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

3. Christ-like learning.

1 Peter 3:7 - “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with youof the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.”

Men are Tempted to Be:  Absent or Aggressive

Wives/Mothers Known For:

1. Christ-like partnership.

Ephesians 5:22 - “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”

2. Christ-like respect.

Ephesians 5:33 - “...let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

3. Christ-like lifestyle.

1 Peter 3:1,4 - “…wives, be subject to your husbands …that they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives…. through …a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.”

Women are Tempted to Be: Independent or Codependent

Promoting Authentic Obedience in Children:

1. Measure of Obedience: “In Everything”

2. Motive of Obedience: “Pleases the Lord”

II. Praying and Living Wisely Impacts Pre-Christians. (Colossians 4:2-6)

1. Pray continually.

2. Live to make them thirsty for the Gospel.

Psalm 145:4 - “One generation shall commend your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts.”

Paul Tripp - “You must have one objective for each interaction: To commend the awesome glory of the works of the Lord to the other person.”

Go Deeper and Apply Truth This Week:

1. What is one way you have seen God work in your life this week?

2. Ask one person this week to read and explain the overall passage in their own words.

3. Give examples of your understanding of how the roles of husbands, wives, and children have changed over the years.

4. How does my relating to others God’s way, reflect what I believe about Jesus?

5. In what way could you more fully obey God’s design for you within the family?

6. Think of some ways we can live wisely today with those who do not know Christ in order to Gospelize them? State your plan for this week by saying “I will…” Pray for one another.