Jesus Recreates Our Relationships

This is my final talk from Colossians on summer project. Notes. Here ya go.

-Theme – The Gospel changes all our human relationships. (repeat)
-What’s the Gospel?
-So what we’re to see tonight is that Jesus as King and Savior recreates all our human relationships.
-3 Types of Relationships – Family, (quick side about prayer), non-Christians, Christians
-Pray

Jesus Recreates Our Family Relationships
-Read 3:18-4:1
-Some of this might rub the wrong way. Might bear some explanation, but this being God’s word doesn’t depend on us liking it.
-that said – a word about slaves…
-We have a problem with authority in our age. Maybe because of abuses of authority. But God has established it. (Bumper sticker example)
-Going to talk about wives, then husbands, then those in authority positions, then children and those under authority.
-Not all of you are wives/husbands – but you probably will be. Maybe rather than trying to find the perfect spouse, you should seek to be a God-honoring one.
-Wives
-explain command (live in submission – not just ‘the buck stops with…’; not just ‘spiritual leadership’; as to the Lord – eph 5)
-sins - usurping authority
- taking over: only submitting if he ‘leads well’ and really just taking things into your own hands – Eve;
-overt usurpation – being overbearing vs. quiet, gentle spirit (1 Peter 3); -covert usurpation – manipulation – Delilah)
-how the gospel answers our sin problem
-‘fitting in the Lord’ (explain)
-New Kingdom has begun! Old world typified by the curse, new world reverses it
-Husbands (3:19)
-explain command – love! (seeking her greatest happiness in God. Enjoying her. Liking her. Being attracted to her/standard for beauty)
-sins
-harshness/abuse – getting irritated and responding with anger
-thinking it’s mere commitment – Jesus commands our emotions
-believing that love means seeking her earthly happiness vs. happiness in God (budget example) – so passivity in loving her and taking her to Jesus as King – even if she doesn’t like it at the time
-Jesus’ solution in a minute…
-Those in authority (3:21, 4:1) – many of us will be parents – get ready
-Commands (rephrase) – boils down to this: treat those under you with justice and love.
-sins: issuing commands as a dictator.
-Believing that you are the ultimate master/standard of right/wrong – as opposed to Jesus.
-Not rewarding obedience. Not punishing disobedience.
-Command boils down to: model Jesus’ authority – both hard on sin and gentle/loving –both serving, and commanding
-Your household should be a model of how Jesus treats the world
-Stiff command? YES – but remember that (4:1b) (expound)
-Those under authority – all of us are (family, government, Church eldership)
-(3:20, 22-25)
-Summarize commands – (obey, serving the Lord)
-Sins: disobedience, people-pleasing, trying to see how much we can get away with
-How the gospel answers our sin problem: (3:20, 24, 25) (inheritance/loved, vs. getting what we deserve – so love God/please him)
(Repeat point)

Aside
-(4:2)
-Explain command
-What gets in your way of dedicated times of prayer? (unbelief that God uses it, lack of desire to honor God in it, seeking things here, whether fun or because you’re stressed)
-for me in college: probably combo of all of them –
-Gospel solution: ‘being watchful’ – Jesus is coming back to establish his Kingdom –
(repeat point)

Jesus Recreates Our Relationships with Non-Christians
-4:3-6
-Two ways – missions and evangelism. Difference. (Rom. 15:18-21)
-Goal? Is. 43:6, 7
-Missions (3:3, 4)
-Prayer
-Going to announce the word to the unreached!
-why not you?
-Sin – don’t care enough to work for the goal…
-Answer – Jesus died and you’re life is with him – live for that!
-Evangelism (3:5, 6)
-define
-Commands
-wisdom in time use - organized around reaching the lost sheep
-manner of speaking should be… (explain the verse)
-note: knowing how to answer means you’ve said enough that they have questions
-Problems –
-evangelism -> event, not a lifestyle.
-Not loving people/treating them as individuals
-But it’s true – Jesus lives and so we will with him forever – live like it! Invite people with you!
(repeat point)

Jesus Recreates our relationships with Christians
-4:7-18
-Let’s look at all that Jesus has given us – just exemplified here
-Easy to forget what we’ve been given
-be critical of the whole Church/judge
-think that Christianity is an individual thing
-Godly examples – people showing us Jesus in action (4:7-8, 18)
-Real loving relationships (4:10, 11, 14-15)
-Prayer (4:12, 18)
-Ministry to each other in various forms (comforting, preaching, hospitality…)
-The Scriptures (4:16)
-All because Jesus…



-So we’ve seen in this passage that the Gospel recreates our relationships.
-What’s the Gospel?
-And it recreates Our relationships with family, our relationships with non Christians, and our relationships with Christians.

-We’ve been looking at this concept of looking at the world through Jesus colored glasses…
-Jesus really is everything. And he is our everything.
-Pray