All right, we're looking at Colossians chapter 3, 18 to chapter 4, verse 1. And let me pray for us and we'll jump right in. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the blessing that we have in you. Help us to open our eyes, Lord God, to see how privileged we are spiritually and even physically, Lord God.

Help us, Lord, to function each day, knowing, Father God, that the most important things in our lives have been taken care of in Christ so that we would not focus on temporary things, Lord God, and have a sense of anxiety and bitterness and struggle, Lord, because of these temporal things.

We pray for your blessing and greater insight. I pray that you would stir in us a hungering and thirsting for righteousness that can only be satisfied in pursuing you with all our heart. I pray that your word would truly come alive, feed us, encourage us, rebuke us, guide us, Lord, that we may be strengthened toward you.

In Jesus' name we pray, amen. All right, so the last time I was up here, I shared about investing in a Bible program. And so I've gotten a lot of questions about that. And I told you there's various Bible programs that you can purchase. If you have a Mac, a lot of the pastors like using the Accordance.

Some pastors, I mean, if you, typically the Bible program that is pushed to us at seminary is Logos or Bible Works because it's a lot more comprehensive. There's a lot more going on in those things. But I don't recommend those. And the reason why I don't recommend it is it's kind of an overkill.

And it slows down your computer because it's so huge. And because it's complicated, even a lot of the pastors don't like using it. If you know me, if it takes me more than five seconds to figure it out, I'm probably not going to use it. You know, and that's how I am with the internet.

And so I'm kind of like that with the Bible program. I've tried using Bible Works and Logos and all that. And in order for me to get from one screen to another and to do search, I mean, once you learn it, I'm sure it's easy, but it took more than five seconds, so I quit.

The Bible program that I've been using all these years is probably the layperson's version. I recommended to the church before, but I wanted to just kind of show it to you what I use. Bible Study, PC Study Bible. They do have a Mac version of this. They didn't have it before, so they should probably change their name.

But it's called PC Study Bible. And then if you did want to purchase it, I would recommend the lowest version because the highest version, 95% of that you will never use. Right? It's extra stuff like Spurgeon, all of his sermons, his entire life and his prayer and everything he's ever said.

Right? It's all in that program. You don't need that. You will not refer to that. So the basic stuff that you need, most of the stuff you can find online. But again, the problem with online program is it's limited. And like I said, if it takes more than five seconds to go from one screen and go to another website to look something else up, and it adds an extra step that takes you 30 seconds to do something, if you're like me, you're probably not going to use it, at least not often.

Right? But this Bible program is very simple to use. You just need to open it up. So let's say if I'm looking at the text that we're looking at, Colossians 3, 21, it's already up there. It'll pop up the screen. Okay. Get rid of that for a second. And it'll take me to that passage.

And here's all the different translations here. Now I only use right here. NASB, ESV, NIB, New King James and King James version. And every once in a while I'll come here and look at the Amplified or Living Version or something like that. And then every once in a while I may come down here and do some Greek study down here.

But again, that's not something that you need to worry about. Okay. So I pop up the NASB version, and we're looking at verse 18 through chapter 4, verse 1. And so this is where I start my study. The button down here will add different screens. Right? So now I have NASB, ESV, NIB, and the King James version on one screen.

So while I'm reading it, I can tell which words are used differently. Now I can change the screen based upon, let's say, instead of using the ESV, I click that one and I want to see the Living Translation. And that one will turn into the Living Translation. So whatever translations I want up on the screen, and I can add as many as I want.

Right? Okay. Which is completely unnecessary. But I'm just telling you what this thing is capable of doing. So after I do that, okay, obviously this in and of itself is a huge help. But one of the key things that I use probably along with every time this Bible is open, I usually have this particular study right here, Complete Word Study.

Last time I told you about the Vine, right? The Vine Word Study. That's not the only one. There's a lot of word study, like word study study concordances that you can get. Vine is not the only one. Vine just happened to be around the longest, and it's kind of like the standard that everybody uses.

The one that this particular program was pushing was the Complete Word Study of the New Testament and the Old Testament. So when I have the Old Testament up, it gives me the option to click this. So let's say if I... Let me get rid of all these screens. And I wanted to add the Word Study.

I would just come here and click that, and that pops up. So when that pops up, if I wanna see, like, okay, what is the Greek word? And again, you don't have to know the Greek to be able to know this. I click the numbers here. These numbers are the strong numbers, those of you guys who know what it is.

You just click that, and it'll give me the definition. "Goune," and it'll give me the various verses that that word is used, how it's used, what is the synonym, what is the antithesis. And then, over here to the left, when I am on this screen, it gives me other options.

So if I wanted to go to, you know, New English... Let me see. Sorry. If I'm here, Exegetical Dictionary, Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, and Kittel, that's kind of like the standard. These are things that I've added so that I can go deeper into the Greek, but I'm assuming that most of you guys won't need that.

But again, so if you want to know what word is being used, how it's being used, you know, what other verses use this, it's very helpful. Now, why this is important, or why I think this would be very helpful, let's say the word "submit" here, right? I pop this up, and it gives me the understanding of this word.

And to place in order, to place under in an orderly fashion, I mean, we knew that, right? And then it'll kind of give you the definition, it'll give you more of the background, you know, the context, historically, culturally, how they use this term, where other places in the Bible is this word used.

But what's interesting is, in the Greek, obviously, you're not going to be able to go in, in the English, you're not going to be able to go in this deep. But as we continue to study, the word for "obey" and "submit," they're different words, right? So you go here, obviously, here, obviously the number is different, so you're going to be able to see that.

Where am I? See? The other one was "hupotaso," this one is "hupakuo." So "hupo" basically means to place under, but then the second part is a bit different. But if you notice here, the difference between "yi" to "obey" and "submit," let me see. Okay, so if you look at the second definition, to yield to a superior command or force without necessarily being willing.

Just more of a military command. So the word to obey children, again, and then for slaves to obey the master, is a much stronger word than the word "submit" for the wife. The word "submit" for the wife also has the understanding of to submit and to place under, but it has the idea of to place under in an orderly fashion, to place in a way that God has designed.

So both words have the same significance, to place under, but the thrust of the word, the strength of the word is very different between "submit" and "obey." And you can see why. Between husband and wife, where they are in a sense partnering together, but in the order of the family, God has placed the husband to lead and the wife to be the one who submits and honors the husband, where in between children and parents, it says to obey.

And obey basically means whatever they tell you to do, you're supposed to do. It's more of a military command. Same thing with slaves and master, that when the master tells you to do something, you're supposed to obey. Where for wives, they are called to submit, generally to honor and to lift up, and to respect.

So that kind of stuff are things that you'll be able to get if you have access to something like this. Where in the English, you'll read that and say, "Well, it says obey and it says submit." It also gives you that same idea, but you're not going to be able to dig this far.

You understand what I'm saying? So would this be beneficial to you? Absolutely. You'll be able to go a lot deeper, and you don't need to have all the Greek declensions memorized for you to be able to access all of this. And then, as you're studying, you find out, "Oh, there's another study that would be helpful." You can always add to the program, get the basic, and then you just buy $30 program, and it'll just add to this, and then it'll show up to the left.

So let's say if I'm doing this, and I wonder what MacArthur thinks about this, and I come to the commentary section, and it'll say, "And this is MacArthur's notes." So this is his commentary on that particular verse. If I wanted to go and look at Adam Clark's, right? These are old guys, not alive anymore.

But if I wanted to know what they have to say, and then if I... You can choose to add more commentaries that you want that this particular study Bible gives you access to. So I have puppet commentary, Wearsby commentary. So all these commentaries, I would say about two-thirds of these came with this program, but right now I have the highest version, so you're not gonna have access to all of this.

But as I told you, 95% or more of this stuff, you're not gonna access. I don't access it, so you're not gonna access it. Most of the stuff I end up accessing are the ones that I purchased separately, 'cause most of this stuff are stuff that you can find online if you took some time.

So if I wanna look at a commentary, that's what it says. If I'm interested in a concordance, right? What's the word? Let's say "submit," or let's say "wives." And this is all the different places in the Bible where the English word "wives" are used. And that's how I... Like, if you wanted to do a study on submission, like today, where else in the Bible does that word "submit"...

Did I type it right? Or the "submit," and where is it being used? And so it'll come up so I can go and look at all these verses in the context and see how that word is being used. If I wanted to study the topic, I just choose one of them, and it'll give me...

That's subscription. Did I type that right? Okay. Let's choose another one. "Love." So it'll give me a comprehensive understanding of the term "love," the definition, the Greek use of it, and all of this, like the historical, cultural context. So I'm not gonna go through all of these things, but I'm just telling you that everything that you would need to access is instantaneous.

Like I told you before, if I wanted to find out, do a deeper study on a particular word, I would have to go to the library, go through the Dewey Decimal System, go find the reference library, gather all those books, and then if I have a question while I'm studying, I have to go look it up and then write that thing down on a piece of paper, have it next to me as I'm studying it.

I would add that to my notes. But now, I just have the screen open. I just have Colossians open and as I am studying it, it was like, "Oh, I wonder how the word husband or wives or the word embittered, like what does he mean by embittered?" Verse 19.

"To make bitter," but if you look at the other translations, how does your translation translated that? Huh? "Do not be harsh." Right? So let me go back. Okay. I'm gonna go backwards. I want you to see how this is translated and how just having the different translations open. So if you look at verse 19, right, what do you see as the difference between the way NASB was translated versus the other versions?

Tell me if you notice. Huh? I didn't get that. Say it again. What do you see the distinction between that translation and the other translation, verse 19, the end part? Huh? NASB. Portion? I'm missing something. NASB says, "Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them." ESB says, "Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them." But what part is missing?

Am I the one? Verse 19. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. I just didn't understand the first part. Oh, so you look at a different first okay okay all right so if you look at verse 19 ESV says or NISB says do not be embittered against them. So where's the action taking place?

It's a prohibition against who? The husband, not to have certain feelings toward his wife. Yes, is that how you read it? In the NIV, in the ESV, it says do not be harsh against them. Don't treat them a certain way. Application may not may be the same but how it's written is very different.

Yes? Yes or no? Okay some of you guys are paying attention other people are not. Okay all right so you do you see why that's different? Because one command is commanding the husband to correct what he's feeling. The other one is correct what he's doing to her. Right? Now the literal translation is more for the NISB.

Right? If you look at King James version verse 19, do not be bitter toward them. Right? That's exactly like literally and let's go back let's see if we were to go here to the word study verse 19. It says husbands love your wives and be not bitter against them.

That's exactly how it's written in the Greek. Okay but obviously what the NIV and ESV has done is they taken that and interpreted right and put it into words that they felt like this that was the spirit of this verse. Right? The spirit of this verse is don't treat your wives in this way.

So if a husband is in bitter toward his wife how is he going to act it out? He's gonna be harsh against her but that's not the prohibition here. The prohibition is against him. Don't harbor these feelings toward her. Right? Okay now this is why we switch to an ASB.

All right so it's more literal. Now sometimes the ESV does a better job I'm not saying that all the time that's like that but I think overall percentage and ASB just tries to stick closer to the original text and then not. Okay so don't find the verse when you say this is a little bit more literal.

Yes there are some verses that are a bit more literal in the ESV than the NASB but like I said in overall I found the NASB tries to stick to it a bit closer. Okay so I wanted to just show this to you because I'm trying to get you to invest.

Right? Like I said skip a couple lollipops you know and don't go out and get an expensive meal because it is not that expensive. It's under a hundred bucks for the basic stuff. Right? Just one year of non Disneyland will get you this and then some. Okay? I don't hate Disneyland.

I love PC study Bible. All right. All right so like I said I when I study preparing for sermon or Bible study of any kind like I'm I spend 90 percent of my time in front of this. Just going through verses sifting through reading the material and then I put it together like the way I do it is I put it up together on paper.

I do this on a piece of paper. Right? The other passes are more proficient with the computer so they do it on their computer but I started doing Bible study on piece of paper and so I think better when I do it on paper. I usually do this write it all down find all my findings and then I organize it and then put it in an orderly like a fashion and then I put it back onto the computer.

That's the way I do it. Right? But 90% or 95% of the time I'm in front of this. The reason why I never switched to Mac is solely because of this. Because they didn't have a Mac version. I got so used to studying the Bible this way and if I use a Mac I have to get like a parallel program to have the Mac mirror this and just at that time it's just the transition wasn't good.

I tried it for a while and it just wasn't good. That's the only reason I know I am not like a you know Mac hater and or PC is better or one way or the other. It would be easier for me to use a Mac because everybody else uses Mac so it's easier to kind of integrate.

But it's for this reason. But they do have a Mac version now. It's only been like two years that they came out but I've been using this since I got ordained. So I've been I don't know how many years been 15, 16, 17 years I've been using this. Okay so there are if you are using other programs or you want to use something more comprehensive I'll bet you every single one of our pastors they use something else.

They because the seminary does not recommend this. This is very very basic. But like I said I think for lay people this is more than enough. Right in fact sometimes if it's too complicated you end up not using it. So this is very very simple. Right but you will rarely go beyond this unless you're writing a dissertation on on on some deep theological issue.

You won't need to go beyond this. Okay so if you are serious about studying the Bible and you want to go deeper you know you're gonna spend 30 minutes studying the Bible. Might as well spend that 30 minutes efficiently and go deeper. Right? A hundred dollars for eternal rewards.

Right? Lollicup out gone forever. Right? So I recommend this. Okay like I said this is not the only one but this is the one I use. So all right let's Okay I'm gonna try to go through this in a different way. I found a program that will allow me to write on my computer.

Oh yeah it took five seconds to download and that's why I was able to do this. Okay it was very easy. So basically go here and I take this like that. Oh sorry. Oh yeah highlight. See it? I'm very proud of myself. Yes give me that. I'm very condescending and clapping.

Okay all right so just kind of like us to get the structure. Obviously you know his primary things that is these are instructions. So last couple week Pastor Mark did a great job going over the material and basically the broad outline of the past two weeks passages to put off and to put on.

Right? And the Interparities member in chapter one and two it gives us the gospel and then in light of that the application in chapter four chapter three and four and then we said that the primary example of that is to put off your old self and put on the new self and that was kind of like a broad outline and here he has very practical application because when the Bible talks about being being sanctified and practicing your faith where is where is it first going to be practiced?

People that you are closest to that's where it's going to be practiced. So you know these aren't things that you say like you know one day when I become a dad I'm gonna be like this and those applications are very easy to apply because you're not gonna apply it today.

Right? Well I'm gonna be so generous when I have so much money you know that that's an application that's very everybody's generous with money that they might have. You know what I mean? Because you don't have to give it right now. But these this is where the rubber meets the road.

That's why for an elder his proof of his eldership or training ground or where he practices it is with this home first. Right? So if he doesn't manage his household well he's disqualified as an elder because that's where the rubber meets the road. If he's not practicing his faith at home he can't practice his faith at church.

And so that's not only unique to Christians it's unique I mean to pastors and elders it's also unique to every single person because that's where you spend most of your time. So if you're a great Christian outside of your home but in your home you're contentious selfish and you don't practice your faith right then you're not practicing sanctification.

Right? So if you're gonna be unselfish you have to first learn how to be unselfish with the people who are the closest to you which would be your family members whatever wherever you may be. So he gives instructions to wives, to husbands, children, fathers, slaves, and then masters. Is there anybody in this room that doesn't fall into any one of these categories?

No. He pretty much covered everybody. Right? What's interesting is the word for children is "teknon" and the word for children the Bible has a specific word for for child. Right? For little one. Right? "Pidea" it's the word for little one. This one children if there's no age limitation meaning that every single person is a child because you have parents.

Nobody came into this world except for Adam and Eve. Right? Nobody came into this world without parents and so every single one of us some of you may be four of these things or you know three of these things but every single one of us falls onto one of these categories.

So he gives practical application. Right? Wives be subject. Let me change the color. Be subject to your husband. Husbands love your wives. Children be obedient to your parents. Fathers do not exasperate your children. Slaves obey those who are your masters. The masters be just and fair. And that pretty much covers what he's what he's saying in this text.

Okay? So let's go down and break down quickly. Okay? Because I've already spent a good deal of time talking about the Bible program and so "Wives be subject to your husband" and he said the reason behind that it is fitting. It is appropriate. This is what God has designed.

Right? In the home. So it is fitting in the Lord. In other words it is a representation of who? Christ himself. This is what he intended. The Bible says that he created Adam for the purpose of what? Reflecting his glory and one of the main part of his glory is his identity.

Who is he? He's the triune God. The perfect union between God the Father Son and the Holy Spirit. So even in the relationship between husband even though one in essence three in personalities. Right? In the way that they're functioning. God the Father is the one who initiates. Jesus is the one who mediates.

Right? And then God the Holy Spirit is the one who executes. And all three of them together the triune God is God himself. So he says in the home God has created although we are humanly all equal. Does God love the husband more than the wife? Does wife have less value than the child?

They're all human beings. They're all reflect the glory of God. No one was created any less than the other person. But in the family structure God has created order just like there's order in the Trinity. Right? And as the son submits to the father and the Holy Spirit to the others.

Right? He calls the wives to be submissive to honor to reflect because husband is given the role of initiating. To lead. So if you have a contentious wife who's constantly challenging the husband it what does it do? It damages what is fitting to the Lord in reflection of his glory.

Right? And so wives are called to be submissive. And again the word submissive here Hufatasa is the same word used in Ephesians chapter 5 22 and when the wives are called to submit to their husbands. Okay? Again like I said this is a different word than the word that is used for children obeying their parents.

And you don't have to desire it. It is a military term. When the commander says go you go. That is not the term used here. It is more a sense of reference. Reverence and honoring. Right? Respecting. Okay? Husbands love your wives and do not be embittered against them. Again so this is a obviously love your wives is how you ought to treat them.

In Ephesians chapter 5 it says ask to your own body. Right? And then in Philippians chapter 2 we're supposed to consider everyone better than ourselves. Right? So that would obviously apply to our wives. So what it means to lead. Right? And the reason why the wife needs to submit to the husband is because the husband is called to sacrifice.

So if you live selfishly, if every decision is kind of like you know what last time you got to watch you what you want to watch this time I get to do what I want. Right? And if you live with that kind of mentality like you do 50% I do 50% and you have that kind of mentality in your head you're not gonna be a good leader.

Right? You're not gonna be a good leader because what your your mentality is not sacrifice. Sacrifice means that you live your life for her benefit. Like even when you have to make authoritative decisions that she may not like it has to be a decision for her not for you.

Right? You say well you got to eat out last night so I get to play video games four hours. You know what I mean? And of course she's gonna have a hard time respecting you if your life is live self-centered. So the husband is called to sacrificially love her.

It doesn't say sacrificially love here but it's the word agape. You commit to her and other parts of the Bible obviously explains what that means. So the husband is actually called to do a harder job because you're supposed to sacrifice for them. Right? So that so that your decisions and your sacrifice causes her to love Christ more and so that they could have a better life.

Right? And you and you live for that purpose and if you do that your wife will have easier time submitting to you. The wives are gonna have a hard time if the guy that she's submitting to is constantly making decisions for himself and then he uses the Bible saying God said to submit.

Right? So that doesn't mean the wives are wives like if your husband is selfish and he's not doing the right thing that that somehow that disqualifies him to be a leader and you don't have to submit to him. The Bible does not give stipulations as to who to submit.

Like if you respect him submit. If you don't respect him don't submit. That's the Bible does not. Husbands, wives are called to submit whether you respect the guy or not. Whether he's being selfish or not. It will be very difficult for you. Right? But that's what God has called the wives to do.

But husbands don't make it hard for them to submit by being selfish. By making decisions for yourself. Right? Give in as much as you can. Right? Learn to die to yourself at home. Okay? I'm saying all of this I'm looking straight at Esther. All right. Back me up Esther.

All right. If you don't, if you live selfishly and they have a hard time submitting to you, you know, don't throw the Bible at them. Right? Throw the Bible at yourself first. There's a good reason why they might not be, they have a hard time submitting to you because you're using authority for selfishness.

Right? Children be obedient to parents. Again, the word children is not referring to young children. At no point. So those of you who are married at Berean, you know that in the marriage ceremony we highlight the fact that just because you're getting married doesn't mean that your responsibility to honor and submit to your parents is done.

Right? They will always be our parents. They'll always be our parents. That doesn't mean, like, so when you say family, obviously you're called to submit to your husband, but your attitude toward your parents should always be as a child to parent. Right? Now I know what that leads to, and that's, that's, I'll leave that to your small group discussion.

You know, I know a lot of you guys have unbelieving parents and their values are very different than yours, and, and so I know some groups that will never officiate or never allow a wedding that either side of the parents are against, like ever. So unless both sides of the parents are happy and they're, they're completely like, you know, we give you a blessing, they will not officiate the wedding.

Right? We don't do that at our church, and I can give you, you know, our reasoning behind that, but again, that's something that I'm gonna ask you guys to take some time to discuss in your small group. Right? But general principle, that the general principle of calling is children are called to be obedient for what?

For this is well pleasing to the Lord. Right? The Bible clearly says if there's one commandment out of ten commandments that he highlights, and he says, "Honor your father and mother if you want to live long and prosperous life in the land." Right? And he said that, that particular, all the commandments obviously are important, but that commandment is highlighted to call.

If you're gonna submit to God and you don't submit to the authority right above you, right, it's easy to submit to God because he's, he's far off. Right? Just don't read the parts that you don't want from the Bible. So a lot of times when you talk about being obedient to God and you're being disobedient to the authority right above you, you are being disobedient to God.

He said, "But you're not God." Right? But that's what the scripture says. Right? So if we're gonna practice submission and obedience, it has to be practiced where the rubber meets the road, for the authority in your life. Right? So that's, he said, it is well pleasing to the Lord.

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children so that they will not lose heart." Okay, let's look at that. This, this is a bit different too. Right? "Fathers, do not exasperate, do not provoke. Fathers, do not embitter." Okay, so each one of these translations is a little bit different, but basically it's to stir them up to anger.

Right? I remember the first time looking at this, when it says, "Do not exasperate your children or provoke them to anger." I thought, "That was so unfair." You know? You should tell the children to not to provoke me. Not the other way. Right? Because typically that's what happens. Do not provoke your parents to anger.

Right? But why does he say this to the father? Not to provoke them to anger. Because fathers were given authority. Right? Especially at this particular time, the children and wives did not have any rights. So the father can, you know, the idea of being abusive at home, you've been laughed at.

That's what you're supposed to do. Right? In fact, some cultures today. I told you the story out in India, that women and children are treated so poorly over there. One of the missionaries actually had to give a seminar about not beating your wives. Not the pastors that we work with, but it was another pastor group that I was there helping and doing a hermeneutics training with them.

And the missionary basically says, "A good Christian, good pastor does not beat his wife." And all the Western missionaries, we just chuckled. Because we thought he was joking. He just kind of threw that in there. And then the response we gave, and the response of the pastor was very different.

They were confused. They raised their hand and then later on we found out that they were bothered by that. And one of the pastors went up and asked the missionary, and he asked him, "What if they don't listen?" And that was a very serious question. So I talked to the missionary about that and he said, "It's a big problem in India.

Right? That women and children are treated so poorly, you know, in that country. And especially in the villages where there's people are uneducated. And so you're looking at a culture at that particular time where women and children were treated in the same way. Maybe even more poorly than cultures like that.

Right? So do not exasperate. Do not provoke your children. It's because the guy has all the authority. He has the upper hand. And our tendency is, if you have the upper hand, how do you treat the people who are beneath you? If you really want to see a character of a man, see how he treats people that are clearly beneath him.

See how he treats homeless people. See how he treats people who are, you know, beneath him. Or maybe if you're a store owner, how he treats the employees. Right? You see, like, once he has power and authority, see how he, what he does with that. Right? So he's telling fathers, basically, don't wield your authority and power.

Right? And provoking them to anger by basically being abusive. Right? Because he can do it. He can express his anger and beat them because they bothered him. You know, there's no consequence, at least in this culture. And that's why he says, do not exasperate them so that they would not lose heart or be discouraged.

Meaning you're demoralizing them so that they have, you know, so they they're afraid. Right? So that's why he says to the fathers not to do that. And then, he says, slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth. So obviously, the application of this is a bit different than today.

Today we could think of it as employer versus employee. And I think there is a correlation. But the difference between the slaves and maybe an employee, the slaves basically did not have any rights. Right? The master owned you. Even if you were an indentured servant for a period of time, during that period, you belong to the master.

So the master had every right over you. Right? So if you had a good master, you'd have a good life. If you have a bad master, you would be miserable because they would be able to beat you. You know, senselessly, for any reason. And so it's in that context, he says, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth.

Right? So we're not, there is a correlation. But the application of this is much harder than the application of employee and employer. Okay? So just keep that in mind. There is a correlation. But he says, obey in all things on earth, not with external service. Here's one situation where the ESV just took it literally.

He says, I service. And that's exactly what it means. Right? In other words, just work hard when you're watching or you're being evaluated. Well, when no one's watching, you just kind of do whatever. Right? You take 50-minute bathroom breaks. You come into work 30 minutes late and leave an hour early.

As long as you're not being watched. And he said, you're basically, as long as the boss is not watching, you do whatever you want. He says, do not, right, in all things who are your masters on earth, not external services as those who merely please men. As long as you're working and the only person that you're concerned about are other men.

Right? And as long as they're not watching, you're completely a different person. And this obviously applies in every situation. Right? If you're a man pleaser, you're godly at church and ungodly outside. Right? If you're a man pleaser. And you only perform when there's a lot of people watching. But when nobody's watching and there's no consequence, you're a completely different person.

Right? He said, not only externally, but merely pleased to please men, but with sincerity of heart. Right? Fearing the Lord. So in 23 it says, whatever you do, do your work heartily. The word here for heartily literally is suke. But all the translations translated heartily because that's the understanding of it.

But one of the questions that came up is is verse 23 and 24, 23, 24, 25, is it speaking about slaves or everybody else? In this context, it's specifically related to slaves and masters. And the reason why I say that is because he says not to do it just external service, but do your work heartily.

Meaning internally. Right? So again, if you look at the language, it's connected. As the Lord rather than for men. Not to simply be a man pleaser. It's knowing that, knowing that from the Lord you will receive a reward of inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does not, who does wrong will see the consequence of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.

So another question that came up is when you're talking about the consequences, is he talking about eternal consequence, heavenly consequence, physical consequence? Clearly the Bible says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. He's not talking about salvation, clearly. But the book of Hebrews tells us that those who are his children are what?

Are disciplined. Right? So does God discipline sin? Yes. He says that. And he says he wouldn't be a loving God if he did not discipline us. If he allowed us to just live in sin without any consequence, it may be proof that you are not his child. But if you are a child of the sovereign God who loves us, he says when we sin, we are disciplined.

And that's what he's talking about. So is there consequence for sins? Yes. The Bible is clear about that. Okay. And then finally, masters grant to your slave justice and fairness. Again, so this is in a context where, right, the masters, because they have all the power, he can wield the power that he has unjustly.

But he says to the slave be fair. So if you, if somebody comes in as an indentured servant and you said that in six years he's going to be released, right, and the master manipulates his situation saying that, "No, no, you owe me more than this and that." They don't have, slaves don't have rights to go to court and sue his master.

So the master has all the power. He owns them for that period. So he's saying to be fair and just, knowing that you too have a master in heaven. Okay. All right. So I'm going to end it there and I'm going to ask you guys to take time for your small group discussion.

But let me conclude with this and I'm not going to read it. It's all on your paper. All of these things, we can talk about it in theory, but if you don't practice it where the rubber meets the road, it means nothing. Right. We don't want to be hearers of the word, but to be doers.

So some of the questions that, that I ask, you know, is asked more specifically about submission. Like if you are a wife, are you being submissive? If you are a husband, are you being sacrificial for your family? Are you being selfish with your time and money? Right. If you're a person in authority, do you have a tendency to exasperate people because you give full vent, you know, when you're frustrated and you don't treat people with kindness because they're, they're not, you know, they're not your equal.

Right. If you are, if you are a slave, okay, slave meaning if you're an employee, right, and if you're an employee you probably feel like a slave sometimes. If you're an employee, do you just labor for other people to see? But if you don't get caught, you're not a hard worker.

So there you're only a hard worker when there's consequence. Right. Or do, are we really working for the Lord? Right. Everything that we do, we do it wholeheartedly because we're ultimately serving God and it's a way to honor God. Just like we talked about worship, right. Worship is not just how we sing and how we, how much we give.

Worship is how we live our life. Right. And majority of you, if you're working, 70% of your life is at work. So if you're not reflecting Christ at work, you're not reflecting Christ. Right. You're not, if you're not reflecting your, you know, Christ at home, which, which where the other 25% is, you're only at church 5% of your life.

So if only 5% you're generous and gracious and loves God and prayer and Bible study, it's only, if your spiritual life is only contained in that 5% of your life, 95% of your life you're being disobedient. 95% of your life you're not reflecting Christ. Right. So in your small groups, as we take some time to discuss, let's go deeper.

Instead of just talking about what does this mean? What does that mean? And all that is important, but this is where the rubber meets the road. Right. Like this is what it means to live worthy of the gospel. Okay. So let me pray first and then I'll give you time for your small group.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your living word. We thank you for just how practical your word is, how it judges the thoughts and intentions of our heart. And I know Father God that in, in one or in many ways, Lord, that these words cut us and cuts us deeply.

We desire to honor you in every way. And, but we pray Father God that our motivation would not be other people, that we may not live simply for eye service, to build a reputation, but truly live a life, Lord God, worthy of the gospel that you've given us. I pray for your direction in the small groups, that the discussions would be open and honest, that we may be able to share our weaknesses, that we may find strength in one another.

I pray that your Holy Spirit would guide and lead us, Lord God, that we may apply these words practically in our lives. We thank you in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.