Sermon Tone Analysis

*Text*: Colossians 3:18-4:1

*Title*: The Conduct of a Christian

*Theme of the book of Colossians: *Jesus Christ: The preeminent and all-sufficient Savior* \\ Theme of Text: *In every relationship of life, remember that Christ is your Lord.

*Proposition: *We serve the ultimate master, you must let our master control you!  

 

*Introduction*

The book of Colossians is about the preeminence of Jesus Christ.

Christ is preeminent in the world and the church, and Christ should also be preeminent in the believers home and work.

Every part of life should be put under the control of Christ.

In this brief passage, Paul explains some of the duties of the Christian.

They are duties that cover the major areas of a Christian’s common life- home and work.

This passage comes directly after Colossians 3:17, which states that every word and deed should be done in the name of Christ.

All speech and actions of a believer should be for Christ and under the control of Christ.

“The whole of life both thought and conduct is to be submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ.

No area of life stands outside his control; so there is no final distinction between the sacred and the secular.”

–Peter T. O’Brien

 

If you turn on the TV, listen to the radio, look on the internet, pick up a magazine, or read the newspaper, you can hear the news or more accurately, the “latest gossip” about the most popular singers, athletes, politicians, or actors.

Through almost every media format, we hear about the lives of these popular people.

Most of the time, we hear the “bad news” about their lives, because the “good news” is not quite as interesting.

You hear how one actor is getting a divorce because he doesn’t love his wife.

An athlete was caught cheating on his wife.

A politician is caught in an affair scandal.

A singer has her children taken away because she does not know how to take care of them.

A young star is suing their parents because they are keeping all their money from their acting.

The boss of a large company is caught embezzling money.

An employee is caught stealing from the company.

A man kills his family because he couldn’t handle the pressure!

Does this sound like the news or information you get from the world?

It does to me, because I see the headlines of the news every day!

Lives are being destroyed.

Many of the problems of life start in the home.

Why do we look at the world’s ideas, philosophies, and medical ideas to cure our marriage and family problems?

The famous and rich people I just described have tons of money, best physicians, psychiatrists, the best house, yet the world’s solutions cannot solve their problems!

Today, we will talk about the family life and the work life.

Let’s look at God’s Word for the answer!

Paul puts an emphasis on the home.

The home was the first institution that God founded.

(Gen.

2:18–25; Matt.

19:1–6).

God wants Christians to have homes that are surrendered to the control of Christ.

The home is a critical part of the Christian life.

Your greatest ministry is to your family.

Unfortunately, society today says that the home and family is important, but not as important as your own personal gain and fulfillment.

In this passage, Paul puts an emphasis on the family and points out the conduct that makes a strong and godly home.

I want to talk to you about these practical exhortations from Colossians.

I will admit before I start preaching, that I am not perfect in these areas!

In fact, you know that I am not even a parent!

Please don’t listen to “Tad’s wisdom,” but listen to the wisdom of God’s Word.

Let the Bible teach you today.

*1.

**The Conduct of Wives*

Paul tells wives to be submissive to their husband.

The Bible uses the word submissive as the idea of “coming under rank,” not by force, but willingly.

“The term does not suggest slavery or servitude, and certainly never calls for the husband to make his wife submit.

If he could, her heart would not be in it.”

(Richard R. Melick NAC p. 311) This idea of the woman being submissive to the husband has been called into serious question in recent years.

The world says that this is crazy; the woman should not have to submit to man.

Even many Christian teachers try to change the meaning of this verse.

They say “Paul really did not mean that women today are to submit, he just was talking about the Christian women in Colossae.”

That is an incorrect interpretation!

Paul is not writing something derogatory to women, he is not saying that women are less qualified, intelligent, or important.

(Galatians 3:28) Paul is simply saying that the wife should submit to her husband.

When a wife submits to her husband, she is allowing him to lead his family in the God-given manner.

A wife that is submitting to her husband, “/as is fitting to the Lord,”/ is simply fulfilling the proper duty from the Lord.

A Christian wife should obey the Word of God and submit to her husband, since he is the “head of the wife.” 1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman /is/ man, and the head of Christ /is/ God.

 

*App: *Let’s read /1 Peter 3:1./ /Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives/.

Many Christian women are married to unsaved husbands.

The apostle Peter tells women that are married to an unsaved husband to submit so that they may be an example in their conduct!

Peter doesn’t tell wives to preach to their unsaved husbands; he says to submit so that your conduct will win them to Christ!

When your unsaved husband sees you nagging, yelling, not submitting, and being unloving, then he will see no reason to be a Christian, but when you are submissive and pure in conduct, you will show him your love for him and for Christ.

*Ill**: *There is a very common saying in English, “When Mamma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”

Is that how your home is?

When wife or mom is not happy, then everyone else knows it.

The kids say, “Watch out for mom, she is mad!”

They say, “Dad better watch out, or mom will yell at him again!”

Is that submission?

NO.

That is a power struggle with the woman trying to gain authority!

Anger is a way to demonstrate who has the authority!

*App: *Women, you need to submit to your husband.

That sometimes means allowing him to make some mistakes.

It doesn’t mean that you can’t talk to him or tell him what you think of a situation.

Some of the best advice or counsel I get is from Hannah.

It just means that you should let him have the authority and final decision, even if you think it is a bad idea.

The authority for the family should be in this order God, Husband, Wife, then children.

Submitting to your husband will show your willingness to submit to God.

If you are unwilling to submit to your husband, you are showing your unwillingness to submit to almighty God.

If you are allowing Christ to control you, then you will submit to your husband.

* *

*2.      **The Conduct of Husbands*

The Positive: /Love/: Paul tells the husband to love his wife.

The wife might think, “Hey, he gets the easy part!”

Not so fast, this is harder than it might seem.

In Ephesians 5:25, Paul tells men to love their wife /as Christ has loved the church.

Christ gave his life for the church/.

This self-sacrificing, serving love is different from carnal, fleshly love.

A husband is to love his wife with continuing love no matter the situation or circumstance.

Paul even says to love your wife /as your own body/.

What a statement!

Love your wife as much as you love yourself, even more than that love your wife as Christ loved the church.

*Illustration: Limiting Love For Wife*

A young man once went to see Dr. Harry Ironside to confess a fault.

“I love my wife too much!” he told the well-known Bible teacher.