Welcome to Day 2494 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Day 2494 – Wherever, Whatever, Whenever, However...Christ – Daily Wisdom – Colossians 3:15-4:1

Putnam Church Message – 10/27/2024 Jesus Christ, Our Life – Wherever, Whatever, Whenever, However…Christ - Colossians 3:15-4:1 Last week, we learned that guided experience is the best teacher, as our mentor, the Apostle Paul, taught us to take off our old, dirty, stinking habits and put on the new, fresh habits of a new life in Christ. Today’s passage is Colossians 3:15-4:1 on page 1835 of your Pew Bibles. Our focus today is having Christ as the center and source of our lives. I am reading from the NLT. ¹⁵ And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. ¹⁸ Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. ¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. ²⁰ Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. ²¹ Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged. ²² Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. ²³ Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. ²⁴ Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.^[e] 25 But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites. ^4:1 Masters, be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master—in heaven. In English, a brief but meaningful expression helps us characterize a person’s values, loves, priorities, and passions, telling us what that person is all about. If a person dearly loves music, we say, “Music is his life.” If someone finds fulfillment in training and motivating athletes, we say, “Coaching is her life.” For a woman whose work means everything to her, who finds great joy in her career, we might say, “Her job is her life.” Of a prolific author who cranks out one book after another, we might say, “Writing is his life.” Since I enjoy almost everything I do, I would say that life is my life! This idiom is clearly a hyperbole—an exaggerated claim not intended to be taken literally. But it’s still a very meaningful>descriptor. When something represents what we call “our life,” that something occupies a place in our heart and mind like nothing else. We think of it in the daytime and dream about it at night. We never grow weary of it. It consumes our time and energy—and often our money! It’s our passion, our driving force, our consuming interest … our life!   If you were to ask the apostle Paul to fill in the blank, “_________ is my life,” there’s no question what he would answer. Without taking a breath.| Without hesitation. He answers it for us in Philippians 1:21: “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.” In Colossians 3:4, as Paul was looking forward to the future coming of Christ, he remarked that Christ “is our life.” Paul’s answer would have been clear, reflecting his life choices. His inner passion for Christ>and the external outworking of that passion were so much in harmony that nobody who knew him would have had to pause to answer that question. His life provided the answer: “Wherever I may be, whatever I may be doing, whenever it may be happening, however I may feel, Christ is my life.” Could you say that about yourself? More importantly, if your spouse, children, parents, employer, co-workers, or employees were to fill in the blank for you (“_________ is your life”), would “Christ” occupy that place? As we work through Colossians 3:15–4:1, I want us to think about the idea of having Christ as the center and source of our lives. Along the way, we’ll see how: (Bulletin)

• Christ is our life and can rule, fill, permeate, and be displayed in various areas. Let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.  (3:15).
• The message of Christ is to fill our lives (3:16–17).
• The presence of Christ is to permeate our homes (3:18–21).
• The life of Christ is to be displayed in our work (3:22–4:1).

Wherever, whatever, whenever, however … Christ is our Life.     —3:15— Isaiah 9:6 prophesied that the coming Messiah would be called “Prince of Peace.” Christ’s entire life and ministry were characterized by imparting peace to others. Although Isaiah 9 looks forward to the universal peace that will be established on earth when the Messiah takes His throne and reigns in His kingdom, even now, as He sits at the Father’s right hand in heaven and intercedes for His people, He imparts peace to us. Christ said, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27). In Philippians 4:6–7, Paul describes the very personal and practical implication of our relationship with the Prince of Peace: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” I suggest reading these verses every morning when you rise – it is a great way to begin each day. We can’t establish lasting world peace or relieve the suffering and anguish of this fallen world. Nor can we prevent chaos from happening in and around our lives. However, we can experience the reality of the peace Christ imparts today. The peace given to us by Christ is this:

1. An inner quietness in the midst of swirling chaos
2. A calm sense of tranquility in the center of tribulation
3. A feeling of harmony amid the world’s blaring discord
4. An experience of ease and rest in our hearts and minds

That’s the kind of incomprehensible peace Christ gives. When Christ becomes our Life, His peace—not our circumstances—determines our attitudes and actions. Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” Focus on the verb rule. It’s a translation of a Greek word rarely used in the New Testament: brabeuō. It literally means to “be in control of someone’s activity by making a decision.” It is a choice! Two things will happen when the peace of Christ—the peace He gives us—governs how we interpret our experiences and respond to our challenges. First, our relationships with others in the body of Christ will be healthier as we refuse to let minor things bother us. We’ll infuse our relationships with peace. Second, we’ll have gratitude even amid challenging circumstances. When our natural tendency might be to complain about things that happen to us, we’ll “be thankful,” knowing that God is in control (3:15). In fact, thankfulness will become an abiding characteristic at the core of our lives (3:16–17). —3:16–17— Paul turns from the peace of Christ to the Word of Christ, the message of His love,> grace, mercy, and salvation. When Christ is our Life, we’ll be immersed in His Word. Paul says, Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. (3:16). The phrase “in all its richness, fill your lives” conveys an image of permanent residence. God’s Word shouldn’t be like a friend who pops by for an occasional visit or a relative who stays in the guest room temporarily. God’s Word is to move in,| take residence, |and become an integral part of our lives.| The Message translation paraphrases this expression thus: “Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives” (3:16, msg). The idea is that every aspect of our lives should be informed by and infused with the Word. Turn it loose. This would include instances of formal “teaching and admonishing one another with all the wisdom he gives”—things like personal Bible reading and study, family devotions, participation in church, listening to sound preaching, and tuning into good broadcasts and podcasts. But Paul also describes the deep permeation of the Word manifested in “Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. (3:16; cf. Eph. 5:19). Besides teaching one another through worship songs, we must let the Word fill our entire lives. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord>Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. (Col. 3:17). As we open our mouths, we should ask ourselves, “Is what I’m saying consistent with the message of Christ? Is it honoring to Him?” |Before we take any actions—even things that seem neutral or insignificant—we should consider, “Am I demonstrating my allegiance to Christ?” —3:18–21— When Christ is our Life, His peace will be the decisive factor in what we think, feel, say, or do (3:15). The truth of His Word will saturate everything we say and do (3:16–17). Christ also impacts the relationships in our homes, as Paul demonstrates by addressing wives, husbands, children, and fathers (3:18–21). Regarding the role of a wife’s submission to her husband’s headship, Christ is the perfect example. Though equal in nature to the Father, sharing in the same divinity, power, glory, and authority, the Son submitted to the Father’s>will to accomplish God’s plan of redemption, humbling Himself in obedience (Phil. 2:5–8). This is the kind of humble submission wives are called to imitate. Note that Paul is speaking here only about the marriage relationship (wives and husbands), not about the general relationship between men and women. Wives are not told to submit to every man they encounter but to their husbands in the family unit. Let me add one more clarification: Paul is not condoning passive submission to domestic abuse. Wives who are stuck in abusive relationships with their husbands should seek help from supportive church leadership or legal authorities. At this point, we must emphasize that we all have equal dignity in Christ, so Paul’s statement has nothing to do with inferiority. In Galatians 3:28, Paul says, There is no longer Jew or Gentile,^[a] slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. Such a statement was profoundly countercultural in the first century. It was a time when many Jews felt superior to Gentiles, while Gentiles frequently looked on Jews with suspicion and disdain. Sometimes, slave traders considered slaves to be mere pieces of property, like cattle, whose value was directly linked to their physical strength, health, or skills. And many men wrongly believed that women were physically, mentally, and emotionally inferior to them. Paul’s statements in Colossians 3 concerning husbands and wives—as well as his remarks regarding servants and masters—suggest that in the eyes of God, all are equal. While different groups of people play distinct and complementary roles in an orderly society, God shows no partiality. As wives fulfill their unique roles in the family “as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord.” (3:18), husbands are called to exceed the world’s expectations in two ways. First, they are to love their wives (3:19). Some husbands reading this might think, Whew! I got off easy this time. Not so! Paul is not referring to the passion of romantic love or the warm affection of a two-way relationship. He uses the term agape, the kind of love that seeks the highest good of the other, even at the price of one’s own comfort, safety, and benefit. This is unconditional, self-sacrificial love, the quality of love that God shows His undeserving children. Second, husbands are instructed never treat them harshly (3:19). How natural it would be for husbands to become resentful of their wives if they poured all their time, energy, and emotions into such selfless love, only to discover that there’s no equal return on the investment! But this is exactly what husbands are called to do. Whether a man’s wife submits to, honors, or cherishes him, the husband’s responsibility is to love and honor his wife regardless, with nothing less than true agapē. In Ephesians 5:25, Paul went even further: For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her. In the first century, not unlike the present, it was common for husbands to treat their wives harshly or to ignore and neglect them until they needed them to meet their needs. What Paul advocated stood in stark contrast to what was happening around them. The Christian man’s love for his wife—like the Christian woman’s submission to her husband—often went against the grain of personal preference, natural tendencies, and cultural expectations.  |When Christ is the Life of our families, |the marriage relationship will reflect mutual love, respect, and unity,| as will the parenting relationship. Children must be obedient to their parents. In light of what Paul has just said, children should already have a model to follow in their godly mother who shows deference and submission to the leadership of her husband. This may be one of the reasons God has ordered the husband-wife relationship this way—to provide an everyday example of what respect for authority is supposed to look like. Children also have a perfect example of submission and obedience to parents in the life of Christ. He “was obedient to them” to His earthly parents, Joseph and Mary (Luke 2:51). This is ironic, isn’t it? God the Son incarnate, who created the whole universe and everything in it—including Joseph and Mary—voluntarily submitted to His own creatures to fulfill a greater purpose in the plan of God. Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. (Col. 3:20). The ultimate responsibility for carrying out discipline when children step out of line falls on the father as the head of the home. No dad is called to be a harsh, unloving, iron-fisted dictator. Nor is he to relinquish his authority and become a passive, timid, permissive parent who fails to provide leadership or exercise discipline when necessary. Fathers and mothers are to set standards, provide guidance, and discipline their children with patience, kindness, and love. Paul warns Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged. (3:21). The Greek term erethizō means “to arouse” or “to provoke,” mainly in a bad sense. The idea is that through overbearing actions, a father can push a child over the edge, failing to impart wisdom and actually goading the child into anger, resentment, and bitterness! He can do this by being overly critical or disciplining too harshly or too often. A wise father will balance instruction and discipline with fun and laughter. He will never tire of telling his children, “I love you,” and reinforcing it with affectionate actions.     —3:22–4:1— When Christ is our Life, His peace fills our hearts (3:15), His Word permeates our every moment (3:16–17), and His presence transforms our families (3:18–21). In 3:22–4:1, Paul explores how the power of Christ also impacts our work. In light of his first-century context, Paul addressed the pervasive institution of slavery and how servants and masters were to live under the mutual lordship of Christ. Before we seek to apply his principles to the twenty-first-century context of employment, let me make a couple of comments about Paul’s treatment of slavery in his first-century context. First, Paul probably had in mind something akin to domestic servants—day-to-day workers in a household. (Downton Abbey) There would be a logical connection between Paul’s discussion of family life and that of household servants. To leave the issue of...