Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20070805.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Colossians: Maturing Over False Beliefs By Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency
Part IX: Applying Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency To Godly Living
D. Using Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency For Godly Home Life
(Colossians 3:18-21)
  1. Introduction
    1. False spirituality, whether it comes in the form of false secular philosophy or religious legalism, mysticism or asceticism leads to problems in relationships not only in the church, but even in family life.
    2. Accordingly, following his critique of Gnosticism's false secular philosophy and religious legalism, mysticism and asceticism, Paul noted how focusing on Christ's supreme all-sufficiency is to affect outlooks and resulting behaviors in the home that greatly bless such home relationships (as follows):
  2. Using Christ's Supreme All-Sufficiency For Godly Home Life, Colossians 3:18-21.
    1. We found in Colossians 2:8-3:4 that we believers in Christ are to ward off errant secular philosophies (Col. 2:8-10) and errant religious legalism (incorrectly heeding Old Testament regulations that God has decreed are no longer in effect today, Col. 2:11-17), errant religious mysticism (incorrectly relying on dreams, visions or experiential impressions for reality, Col. 2:18-19) and errant religious asceticism (incorrectly relying on excessive, unbiblical taboos by man, Col. 2:20-23) by focusing on the supreme, all-sufficiency of our risen, glorified, coming Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 3:1-4).
    2. That being noted, Paul revealed how applying this new orientation affects even how members in a family household have their relationships and behaviors modified for the good as follows, Colossians 3:18-21:
      1. Regarding wives, instead of relying on secular philosophies (cf. Col. 2:8) or the rules of the Old Testament Mosaic Law in living under legalism (Col. 2:11-17) or following the impressions of visions or dreams by others or themselves under mysticism (Col. 2:18-19) or heeding human rules forbidding foods, etc. of false ascetics (Col. 2:20-23), Christian wives were to focus on their supreme, all-sufficient, glorified LORD and SUBMIT to their HUSBANDS, for this was fitting in the LORD Whom they were to heed versus these other authorities and their views, Colossians 3:18.
      2. Regarding husbands, instead of using secular vain philosophies or religious legalism, mysticism or asceticism that tend to make them have artificial, overly demanding or unrealistic expectations of their wives, Christian husbands were to focus on their supreme, all-sufficient, glorified LORD and thus LOVE their WIVES so as not to be "incensed and angry in mind" (pikrainesthe, "bitter, harsh," J. B. Lightfoot, Colossians and Philemon, p. 227) toward them, Colossians 3:19; Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volume VI, p. 125.
      3. Regarding children, instead of using secular vain philosophies or religious legalism, mysticism or asceticism that tend to make them follow errant teachers or peer groups over their parents, Christian children were to focus on their supreme, all-sufficient, glorified LORD and thus to OBEY their PARENTS in ALL things, for this was "commendable" to their LORD, Col. 3:20; Ibid., Lightfoot.
      4. Regarding parents, instead of looking to secular vain philosophies or religious legalism, mysticism or asceticism that make them either overly or inadequately exacting or set too high or too low a level of expectations for their children, Christian parents were to focus on their supreme, all-sufficient, glorified LORD and thus to cease "irritating" (erethidzete, "to irritate, cf. Arndt & Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 1967, p. 308) their children lest they "lose heart, become spiritless," Col. 3:21; Ibid., Lightfoot.
Lesson: Where a preoccupation with false secular vain philosophies or errant religious legalism, mysticism and asceticism produce a false spirituality leading wives to follow errant authorities rather than submit to their husbands and husbands to be harsh toward their wives and children to disobey their parents and parents to be overly or inadequately exacting of their children, God wants believers to focus on their supreme, all-sufficient Savior INSTEAD for adjustments that make wives submit to their husbands, husbands love and treat their wives graciously, children obey their parents and parents graciously though rightly direct their children in the Lord.

Application: May we thus focus on Christ's supreme, all-sufficiency for blessings in our home lives.