Christocentric 7 – Practicing Practical Righteousness

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with us. We beheld His glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. You don't want to become so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good. That was a saying years ago and a concern expressed by some people within the church. However, it is not a concern that the Apostle Paul shared 2,000 years ago when he wrote to a church in a city of Asia Minor called Colossi.

He wrote these words in Colossians chapter 3, verses 1 and 2: "If then you were raised with Christ," or in other words, "if you're a Christian, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on the things of the earth." That's an exhortation to be heavenly minded, to set your mind on things above, and to have a Christ-centered focus.

We are doing a series here at Cross Connection going through the book of Colossians, and we called it "Cristo Centric," which means to be Christ-centered in your focus. That's exactly what Paul taught. The idea that you don't want to become so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good was definitely not an idea that Paul would preach. That's not in the Bible; that's not a verse, even though people have at times said it.

I understand that the original saying had to do with the concern that people might get so focused on being in heaven with God and with Christ that they fail to recognize their obligation to Christ here and now. Maybe that's possible. There may have been times throughout history when this has occurred.

The church's history in modern times shows that people have become fixated on getting out of here. Sometimes we hear Christians talk about how they just want to escape because it is so bad. However, we must realize that God called us to be in the midst of this dark world, to be lights in a dark place. There may be a way in which we can become so focused on just getting out of here that we fail to fulfill the obligation we have here.

In this passage, Paul instructs followers of Jesus to be earthly minded, to set their minds and hearts on the things above where the Lord is. He emphasizes that such a focus will ultimately produce genuinely good things in our lives in the earthly realm in which we live. He speaks about this in Colossians chapter 3, verses 5 and onward. He says, "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, covetousness, which is idolatry."

In verse 8, he continues, "But now you yourselves put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him."

Therefore, as those who are chosen or elect of God, holy and beloved, this is an awesome statement. Christians are chosen by God, made holy by Him, and are beloved by the love of God. Since you are elect of God, holy, and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so also you must do.

But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which you also were called in one body, and be thankful. In Colossians 3, verse 1, Paul states that if you are a follower of Jesus, your focus needs to be on the Lord in heaven; you need to be heavenly minded. The result of being heavenly minded is that there is an earthly transformation, an earthly goodness that begins to be transformed from the inside out in our lives as our focus is placed upon the Lord.

Bullets and point number one is this: heavenly mindedness results in earthly goodness. This is such an important reality. A focus on the Lord in heaven results in earthly goodness. When you set your heart, mind, and affections on heaven, where the Lord is, an internal transformation begins to take place.

If you are today a follower of Jesus, you have experienced that internal transformation. The more you set your affections in your heart and mind on the Lord in heaven, the more that transformation will begin to take over in your life. It will be manifest not just internally but externally, to the point that people who know you begin to see a difference. It's an amazing thing that takes place as people who knew us before we were followers of Jesus and after we became followers of Jesus begin to see that change happen. They wonder, how did that happen?

As you draw near to the Lord and He draws near to us, a transformation takes place by being in His presence. The idols of our heart, the things that we once sought after or looked for, begin to fall away as the Lord comes close to us. His holiness has a way of purifying our unrighteousness, and it's an amazing thing to see.

That's what Paul is speaking to here in this passage. It's not religious effort that makes us holy; it's Christ's holiness in us that transforms us from the inside out. That's why Paul, in Colossians chapter 2, said this is the mystery that God has revealed through the Scriptures: Christ in you, the hope of glory. The very fact that Jesus indwells the Christian is what the Bible describes as the Christian experience. We are in Christ, and He is in us. We become the temple of the Holy Spirit.

The experience of the Christian is that now, having Christ in us, He gives us hope, which is an absolute certainty. It's not a kind of blind wishful thinking; it's an absolute certainty that we will one day be glorified, made like Him. The Apostle John in the New Testament says, when we see Him, we will be like Him. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to that. The more we draw close to the Lord, the more we are being transformed into His likeness.

His image, the New Testament says, and so that's what Paul is speaking to here in this passage. It's not by religious effort or religious rule-keeping; it's not by religious ritual, but it's by growing close to the Lord in relationship with Him.

One of the things that Christians have said, especially over the last 20 or 30 years, is that they don't have religion; they have a relationship—a relationship with God through Christ. In that relationship, He has the ability to transform our lives and to work in our lives. As we draw close to Him, He enables us to do away with immorality, uncleanness, greed, anger, gossip, and all the like. All those things can be removed from our lives.

As we become heavenly-minded and focused upon the Lord in heaven, He transforms us for good here and now in this life. It sounds super spiritual to say, "Set your mind on things above; seek those things where Christ is." The immediate question that comes to my mind, and maybe you have the same question, is: How do I do that? What does it practically look like to set my mind on things above and to seek Christ?

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew chapter 6, that we are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. All the things that we concern ourselves with on a daily basis—every one of us has worries, cares, and concerns. We all experience that: where we're going to live, what we're going to wear, what we're going to eat. After all, these are the things people in the world seek. Jesus says, "Don't worry about that stuff. Don't be concerned about that stuff because you have a Father in heaven."

He continues, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." There's a great verse, and a lot of Christians have memorized it: Matthew chapter 6, verse 33. But how do I seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? How do I set my mind on things above?

In Colossians chapter 3, verses 16 and 17, if you were here with us last week, we looked at this as we were finishing up. If not, you can check it out on our website. But just briefly, I want to look back at it real fast. So turn in your Bibles to Colossians chapter 3. If you don't have a Bible, one of our ushers will bring one to you if you raise your hand. Colossians is right near the very end of your Bible.

In Colossians chapter 3, verses 16 and 17, Paul gives us four steps to heavenly-mindedness. He says this: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do, in word or deed..."

Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God through Him. There are four things that Paul tells us in these verses to do in order to become heavenly minded and to experience this transformation in our lives, where we put off the old man and put on the new man that walks in righteousness. The four things are these:

Number one, we must have God's Word be a part of our lives. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, he says. God's Word is essential if you are going to be transformed more and more into the image of Christ. In John chapter 17, verse 17, Jesus prayed to God the Father and said, "Father, sanctify them, my followers, by Your truth; Your Word is truth." God transforms us by His Word. This is not just the prayer of Jesus in John 17, but also the words of Paul in Romans chapter 12, where he says that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. How is that done? By the Word of God. In Ephesians chapter 5, he states that God washes us by the washing of the water by His Word.

God transforms you and me through the Word of God entering our lives. The longest Psalm in the Psalms, Psalm 119, repeatedly emphasizes that God's Word has a transforming power in our lives. How shall a young man cleanse his path? By taking heed to the Word of God. "Your Word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You." "Your Word is a light unto my feet and a lamp unto my path." Thus, God's Word in us cleanses and sanctifies us, and so He says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly."

Secondly, we are to teach and admonish one another. This speaks to the fellowship that takes place when you spend time with other Christians, other followers of Jesus. Perhaps you've had this experience before: you are spending time with another brother or sister in Christ, and you say something that might be offensive or not the most righteous or holy thing. They might respond, "Gosh, you know, you shouldn't say things like that." Have you ever had that experience? That is a sanctifying thing that happens in fellowship. If you weren't spending time with other brothers and sisters in Christ, you might not have that correction, and you would just keep moving along as if nothing were different. Yet, you have that sanctifying influence of another brother or sister in Christ. That is why we want to spend time in fellowship.

Fellowship with one of those God uses—your brothers and sisters in Jesus—makes you more like Jesus. In Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, we are to sing with grace in our hearts to the Lord. That is worship. Worship has a sanctifying impact, and when I use that word "sanctifying," I mean a cleansing impact in my life. When you draw near to God, that is what you are doing when you worship Him. It has a way of transforming us.

When we come into His glorious presence, He cleanses us. There is a beautiful story of this in Isaiah chapter 6. The prophet Isaiah, about 2,800 years ago, has an experience where it seems like he is caught up into the presence of God in the throne room of God. When he sees the glory of Christ seated on the throne and hears the angels saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God; the whole earth is full of His glory," it says that Isaiah was undone. He declares, "I am a man of unclean lips."

Then, one of the angels takes a coal from off the altar and touches the lips of this man with unclean lips, and he is cleansed. The presence of God and worshiping God have a cleansing effect in our lives.

Next, Paul writes in verse 17, "And whatever you do in your daily life, from Monday to Sunday, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." This is a challenging exhortation. Most of you here don’t work in an environment like I do. I am blessed to work in an environment where, as far as I can tell, everybody is a Christian. However, for most people, that is just not the case.

But here is a challenge for you: whatever you do—whether you are an architect, a teacher, a police officer, a nurse, or wherever you are—do all in the name of the Lord. Recognize that you are an ambassador of Jesus wherever you are. That will have an impact on your life in everything. We will see a little bit more about that today.

So, Paul says this is the way that we draw near to Christ: that we set our affections on Him, that we seek those things that are above through God's Word, through fellowship, through corporate worship, and through mission.

Recognizing that you're an ambassador of Jesus wherever you are, as you set your mind on things above, that heavenly mindedness will begin to manifest in your life. The old man, with his wickedness, will be put away, and the new man that is created in righteousness will begin to be developed. It's not religious rituals that accomplish this; it's not circumcision, it's not asceticism, it's not feast days, it's not festivals, and it's not following new moons and Sabbaths. As Colossians chapter 2 says, it's simply drawing closer to Jesus. When you draw closer to Him, He will draw closer to you, and He will transform your life.

From here, Paul now moves to some practical tips for practicing righteousness. I appreciate that Paul, in most of his letters, gets very practical and says, "Okay, these are the things that you can do today to walk in righteousness." This is found in Colossians chapter 3, verses 18 and onward.

So, if you would, stand with me as we read this passage. Colossians 3, verse 18: "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord." You can tell this is going to be fun. "Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them." "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord." "Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged."

"Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality."

"Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven."

"Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. Meanwhile, praying also for us that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one."

Father, as we look at these practical tips for...

Practicing righteousness, I pray that we would take heed and heart to what Your Word says and that we would allow it to have its cleansing effect on our lives. If in any way these things that we're commanded to do here in this passage are things that we're not doing, Lord, help us to confess and turn away from the things that we're doing that are not honoring to You. Help us to walk in a way that brings You glory and is pleasing to You. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

We have here Practical Righteousness 101. I was just talking with someone a few minutes ago, and they were telling me about a class at Cal State San Marcos called Harry Potter. If we've got a class on Harry Potter, we need a class on Practical Righteousness 105.

So, Paul's first little step on Practical Righteousness 101 is a favorite of so many people: "Wives, submit to your own husbands." This is one of those practical tips for righteous living that seems to really bother a lot of people. I say a lot of people generically, but what I mean is a lot of women. It seems to bother a lot of women. Now, I know ladies are going to say, "Come on, pick on the guys." I will in just a minute.

But Paul, inspired by the Spirit of God, chose here to speak to wives, and he says, "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands." This bothers a lot of women. Why does this command—recognize it's a command—bother a lot of women? I can think of four reasons; there are probably many more. It bothers a lot of wives or women because of a wrong view of submission.

You see, there is this view around this word, especially in our modern day, that submission seems to speak to people of inequality. They believe there is an inequality between men and women, but the Bible does not teach that. In fact, in Galatians chapter three, verse 28, it shows that God created them equal, male and female. Women are not less intelligent or less able than men in any way, and we see that in so many ways in our culture. Yet, there is this view of submission that seems to say...

Submission means that women are less than men, and that's not what God is saying. It is simply recognizing that God created a certain order. In His sovereign understanding of things, He established a headship, a spiritual headship. He says that in the society He created, especially within the home, there are governing structures in the Church, the home, and even in government. We understand that there are leaders to whom we are to submit ourselves. God created that order.

Within the Church, there is a leadership structure that God established. Ultimately, He is our head, and we submit ourselves to Him. However, He has created a structure within the Church, within human government, and within the home. He says that we are to honor all of the structures He created. Therefore, submission does not mean that a woman is less than a man in any way. The idea of submission is simply a recognition of the God-appointed order. In the beginning, God made humanity male and female, and in His sovereignty, He determined that man would have headship. With that headship comes a corresponding responsibility; your husband will answer to God for his decisions.

Take heart, for He says, "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands." This is not a submission of women to all men; that is not what is being said. It is a submission of a wife to her husband. Therefore, if a woman says, "I will not; I refuse to submit to a man," then don't get married. It's as simple as that. If you say, "I don't want to be submitted to a man," don't get married. This is not a command to be in subjection to all men; it is merely a command to be in submission to your husband.

Women sometimes struggle with this verse because of a wrong view of men or a wrong view of husbands. I don't know if you've noticed, but our culture, especially for the last several decades, belittles men and belittles husbands. Husbands are often pictured as buffoons. If you watch just about any modern comedy show, the husband is seen as an absolute imbecile. Take "Everybody Loves Raymond," for example; it is a perfect illustration of this. The husband is portrayed as a buffoon, and the wife comes in and fixes everything. Go back 20 years and watch "Tim the Tool Man Taylor." This has been a constant structure in the last few decades.

For 20 or 30 years, our culture has belittled men. Some husbands have done a really good job of not doing a good job, which may have made this possible. However, that doesn't give women the right to have a negative view of men, especially their own husbands.

The third reason why some women have a hard time with the verse "Wives, submit to your husbands" is because of a wrong view of women or a wrong view of self. You see, not only does our culture belittle men, but it also exalts women as being much smarter and better than men. God created us equally, male and female; He created them. There is no way in which He is going to make man better than woman or woman better than man. He created us equally, and yet there is a wrong view in our culture that men are buffoons who just can't seem to get it right. God says that is not the way He created it. In calling wives to be submissive to their own husbands, Paul is not saying that women are inferior to men or that men are inferior to women. He is saying there is equality, but within the home, wives are to submit to their own husbands as to the Lord.

A fourth reason why I think women have a hard time with this verse is because of a wrong view of God. Some people have this view of God that He is overly masculine and misogynistic. The Bible doesn't reveal that in any way. In fact, where the gospel goes, it has brought rights for women in every society it has impacted. Look at the rest of the world where the gospel has not had a pervasive impact, and you will see a culture that degrades women and sets them at a lesser level. However, where you see the gospel has penetrated in a significant way, you will find that women have been exalted in their rights.

Therefore, I don't think we can hold the view of God as overly masculine and misogynistic. Yet, that is a view that is held by some. Because of a wrong view of submission, a wrong view of women, a wrong view of husbands, or a wrong view of God, some wives struggle with this passage. People will sometimes say, "Why do I need to do this?" when they read "Wives, submit to your own husbands." Paul gives us a very simple answer in the verse: "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as is fitting in the Lord." This is the motivation for following this command; the motivation is because it is fitting before the Lord, as God intended.

Sees it? It is right. That's what he says. You should do this because it's right before the Lord. The motivation is to be pleasing to Him. If you're desiring to be pleasing to God, then do what is fitting. Paul says if you don't want to be pleasing to God, then don't do this. But the issue is not that I want to please my husband or make him happy, or that I want to please society and make society happy. The issue is, do you want to do what's right before God? If you want to do what's right before God, then do what is fitting.

So, point number two on your outline: do what is fitting before the Lord, and you will stop fighting with Him. Do what is fitting before the Lord, and you will stop fighting with Him.

Now, at this point, the wives are saying, "Okay, you spent six minutes talking to us. What about the husbands?" The husband's verse is 19: "Love your wives and do not be bitter toward them." Now remember, this is practical righteousness 101. Paul says these are the steps that you can take to walk in a way that is right before God. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, and husbands, love your wives.

At this point, the wives might say, "Wait a minute, that's just not cool! That's so much easier: husbands love your wives than wives submit to your husbands." It seems like they're getting a pass. Listen, ladies, sometimes it's as hard for your husband to love you as it is for you to submit to your husband. You might think, "No, that's not possible." I'm just going to throw it out there: men, if you're a Christian and you're a husband, then you're commanded to love your wife.

There is some further information that Paul gave to the church at Ephesus when he wrote almost these identical words at this very same time. You can turn and see it; it's just two books to the left of Colossians. So turn to the left. You're going to pass Philippians and then Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 5, look at verse 25: "Husbands, love your wives." Same words. Here's where it's different: "just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her." How did God demonstrate His love towards us? That while we were still sinners, He died for us. So husbands, love your wives with selflessness.

Sacrificial love means dying for your wife. Now, you may say, "Oh, I would die for my wife." However, dying every single day and doing the things that are pleasing to her is the command. It's not a suggestion; this is an imperative in the original language, which means it's a command. Husbands, love your wives and love them with a self-sacrificial love. If you do this, she will have no problem living in subjection or submission to you.

Every single time we've counseled husbands and wives where there's a problem with submission in the house, it always starts with the root issue: the husband has not loved his wife as Christ loved the church. There’s a give-and-take going on here. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands. If you love her sacrificially, that means you'll never tell her, "You need to submit."

Listen, husband, if you have to say to your wife, "You need to submit; the Bible told you to submit," you're doing it wrong. It will never work. You want an instant button for a nuclear full-on attack? I know I've pushed that button once—early in our marriage—and I'll never do it again. You just don't do that.

Husbands, you cannot be right with God and also be unloving towards your wife. You can't. You cannot be right with God and be unloving at the same time. He also says here, "Do not be bitter towards them." Another way to read this word is, "Do not be irritated with her." Now, I know husbands, none of you have ever been irritated with your wife because none of your wives have ever done anything irritating ever. So, this is not speaking to you; it must be directed at someone else, I'm sure. But that's the word: do not be irritated with them.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4, using the same word for love, it says, "Love suffers long and is kind." Another way to say it is, "Love is patient and love is kind." Husbands, don't be irritated.

With your wives, be patient and be kind. He moves on from there and says, "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord." Now, again, Ephesians says very much the same thing in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 1. It states that children are to honor their father and their mother. This is the explicit command of the Ten Commandments: honor your father and your mother, right? There is a promise associated with this command: that it may be well with you.

Here in this passage, Paul changes the wording slightly and says, "Children, obey your parents in all things." This has been a challenge for some children as they become adults. Every single one of us has parents, and you may wonder, should I obey my parents in every single thing? This really has to do with the original language, which is very clear about young children. Children in the home are to be obedient to their parents.

This obedience extends so far as to the point that if your parents are calling you to do things that are right, you should obey. However, if you are ever called upon by your parents to do things that are illegal, immoral, or unethical against God, then that is an area where you could say, "No, I can't do that." It is the illegal, immoral, or unethical that you should resist. But as long as your parents are calling you to do those things that are right and righteous, then when you are in their home, you are to obey your parents in all things.

He goes on to say that fathers, in the very next verse, should not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. The idea here is that fathers are to lead their children in a righteous way. If you are leading your children in a righteous way, then children, you are to obey your parents.

As practical tips for righteousness 101: wives, submit to your husbands as is fitting to the Lord; husbands, love your wives and do not be irritated with them; children, obey your parents; and fathers, lead your children in a way that is right and righteous, leading them closer to the Lord.

Notice that it says, "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord." Underline those words in your neighbor's Bible: "This is well pleasing to the Lord." One of the things that happens when a person becomes a follower of Jesus is that there is a change in their heart, where now they want to do what is right before the Lord. They want to be pleasing to Him.

When you weren't a follower of Jesus, when you weren't a Christian, you didn't care about being pleasing to God. However, one of the indications that you're now a child of God is that you want to be pleasing to the Lord. Here, Paul reveals point number three on your outline: righteousness, more than religion, makes God happy. I can prove that by a simple reading of Isaiah chapter one. I don't have time to do it at this moment, but just in your notes, write down to read Isaiah chapter one.

In Isaiah chapter one, the children of Israel were doing all the religious things that God had told them to do, but their hearts were far from the Lord. He says, "Listen, I don't want your sacrifices any longer. I don't want your incense; your incense is an abomination to me." In the book of Malachi, the children of Israel were doing all the religious things, but their hearts were wrong before the Lord. God says, "I wish someone would just go up to the temple and shut the doors and lock it. I don't want your religious effort; I just want you to walk in what is right." Therefore, righteousness, more than religion, makes God happy.

Paul goes on in Colossians 3:22, stating, "Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality."

In a modern context, we don't have bondservants; the word "bondservant" refers to slaves and masters. So, in a modern context, we could rightly read this as "employees." Most of the people gathered here today are employees of some employer. We can take this and update it for our own purposes today: "Employees, obey in all things your master according to the flesh, not with eye service as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord."

Again, obey in all things that are not illegal, unethical, or immoral as it relates to your work on a daily basis. Obey your employer as long as it's not illegal, unethical, or immoral. He says simply to be a good employee, not with eye service as men-pleasers. What does this mean?

Service means not having to be managed in such a way that someone constantly watches you to ensure you are doing what you are supposed to be doing. Everybody knows that when the boss is in the room, things get done quickly and efficiently. You do it the right way, yes sir, everything is on point. But do you maintain that same level of diligence when they are not there? Do you need the oversight of the master watching you constantly?

This is not about being men-pleasers, doing things just to make the boss happy. No, you should work in your job—whether as a contractor, designer, teacher, lawyer, or whatever it is—as unto the Lord, with sincerity of heart. This is one of the things that has somehow been lost in the church over time. Paul emphasized this in his letters to the Colossians and the Thessalonians: every individual Christian is working for the Lord, regardless of their profession.

Some people seem to think that only those who work in a church are serving the Lord. No, your job—whatever it is today—is for the Lord. He is ultimately your boss and manager. He sees all the time, and He not only sees your actions; He sees your heart. Paul says to work for the reward that He will give, knowing that from the Lord, you will receive a reward and inheritance. Whether you are a lawyer, doctor, nurse, or teacher, you serve the Lord Christ. Your job is for the Lord.

Point number four: all work is ultimately for God. Does anybody remember what the fourth commandment of the Bible is? Scott, do you remember that one? Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy? That's not the full fourth commandment. The full fourth commandment is: six days shalt you work, and the seventh is holy.

Unto the Lord, do you realize that God commands us to work? Six days shalt you work. The job that you have is ultimately for the Lord, and I guarantee that if you take this view of your work, it will change the way that you work.

I've talked with people over the years who say, "Well, if only I could just work in the church, things would be so much better." I'm here to tell you that is so not true. They think, "If only I got to work with Christians all the time, everything would be great." No, begin to recognize that your job is God-given and for the Lord. It will change the way you work.

In Colossians 4:1, it says, "Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven." Employers, if today you are a manager over anyone, even if it's just one or two people on a team, this word is for you. Employers and managers, give your employees what is just and fair.

What is he saying here? Recognize that your employees are not less than you, and honor them on the same level as you are. Understand that you need to be just and equitable in the way that you deal with them, fair in the way that you treat them. Remember, you have a boss in heaven. Even if you are the supreme boss in your job, the CEO, or at the top, you still have a boss in heaven, and He takes note of how we care for those who are under us.

So, he says, "This is what you need to do, employers: be just, be fair, and remember you've got a boss in heaven."

From there, he makes a turn as he finishes up in verses 2 through 4 of Colossians. "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving. Meanwhile, praying also for us that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am also in chains, that I may make manifest as I ought to speak."

Point number five on your outline is the work of...

God requires earnest prayer. The work of the church, fulfilling the mission and the commission that God has given to us, will never be accomplished without your prayer. Every single week when we gather together as a church, you give as unto the Lord. When we receive an offering, that enables the work of the ministry to happen here in North County and in the uttermost parts. However, none of it will ever be accomplished without your prayer. Paul makes that very clear here in this passage. He says you need to continue earnestly, steadfastly, and continuously in prayer. Why? So that a door would be opened to us, the ministers within the church, so that we can speak the mystery of Christ to the world. Pray that I will know how to speak what it is that I'm supposed to speak.

There are 400,000 people within five miles of this building. Statistically speaking, only about nine and a third percent of those people—under ten percent—are a part of a gospel-preaching evangelical church. This means more than 360,000 people within five miles of this building have no connection to a gospel-preaching church. It is my desire that we reach those people, and we won't be able to do it without your prayer. So, Paul says to pray that we figure out how to reach them, how we might reach the people in our community for the gospel, so that they would know the mystery of Christ.

What else can you do? Look at verses 5 and 6: walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, those who are not a part of the church. You, follower of Jesus, walk wisely. Jesus said to be wise as serpents and as gentle as doves. When dealing with people, walk in wisdom toward those who are not in the church, redeeming the time and making the most of every opportunity. The New International Version says to make the most of every opportunity to share with someone.

How do I speak to them? Not only pray for the church and the pastors of the church to reach the people, but you, where you're at—on your school campus, on the construction site, in the corporate office, in your neighborhood, on the basketball court—wherever you are, walk in wisdom. Ask God how you can reach out to these people and make the most of every opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace.

Be gracious to the people you are dealing with, seasoned with salt. Sometimes, I think we put too much salt in the way that we assault people with the gospel. He says to be gracious and season it with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

You see, you are a missionary wherever you are, from Monday morning through Saturday night. Those six days that you are working, wherever you are, you are a missionary. So pray for the church and how we might be able to reach people with the gospel. Remember, God has placed you in a position to be a light. May you shine brightly wherever you are, like a city set on a hill that cannot be hid. Amen.

Let's stand as we close in prayer. Father, would you enable us by your power and your strength to do the things we see here in this passage? Lord, may we be husbands who love our wives, wives who submit to their husbands, children who obey their parents, and fathers who lead their families well.

Employees should walk in a right way before their employers, and employers and managers should recognize the equality of those who are working for them and under them. God, would you shine brightly in all of our lives to be a light to our employers, to our employees, to our children, and to our spouses? Shine through us. Help us to have a Christ-centric life, a life that revolves around you and brings you glory and joy as long as we are here. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.