R214 A New Home

A New Home. That's today's message from Dr. Don Wilton as we open God's encouraging Word together in the book of Colossians. As we study the Word together, know that we're here for you. We'd love to pray with you at 866-899-WORD.

That's 24 hours a day at 866-899-9673. And now, Dr. Don Wilton. Would you turn in your Bibles with me this morning to Paul's letter to the Colossians in chapter 3. Paul's letter to the Colossians in chapter 3, Colossians chapter 3. We're going to be looking at a subject this morning that is probably one of the most critical subjects that we could ever look at outside of our salvation. In fact, I'm going to show you this morning just how well and how dynamically God works in our midst. About three months ago, our subject this morning from God's Word, announced by God's Word, not selected by your pastor today, is the New Home.

The New Home. Colossians chapter 3 and verses 18 through chapter 4 and verse 1. Now, I want to say a few words to you before we actually read these great words from God's Word. One of the most remarkable things that we have come to discover about what Paul says in Colossians, among many other things, is the fact that when Jesus Christ comes into our hearts and into our lives, we become new people. We have been endeavoring to study what God's Word means by this thing called being a new man. Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he or she is a new creature, all things are passed away and behold, all things have become new. And in the preceding verses in chapter 3, we discovered some incredible truths about what being a new person in Christ Jesus really means to each one of us. Number one, it gives to us a new understanding of the death of the old self with its practices.

We saw that back in verse 9. Number two, we develop a new attitude toward all people. When Jesus Christ came into my heart and life, he gave me a brand new perspective of all people, a brand new attitude toward all people, red, yellow, black and white, all are precious in God's sight, whether round or whether small, tall, short, up or down, God's Word tells me and I have experienced a new attitude toward all people. Number three, it gives me a new understanding of my position in Christ Jesus, we saw that in verse 12.

Paul says, therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, when I'm in Christ, I become aware of my new position in Christ. Number four, there is a new set of clothes that I'm giving to wear. Last week, we looked at that, how that God doesn't give us something which is wrinkled and scrunched. God gives to us something brand new. And we discovered from verse 12, that as a born again believer, that God allows me to be clothed in the new clothes that God gives to me. It is my outward appearance that is a direct consequence of my inward relationship.

The clothes that I put on on the outside are directly reflective of that which I am on the inside. But then there was a fifth dynamic, a fifth mark of being a new man. And that is that God gives to me a new reason to forgive others for what they've done. Now, how were we to do this? We saw this in verses 14, 15 and 16. We are to let the peace of Christ rule in us. We are to let the word of Christ dwell in us.

And we are to let the name of Christ motivate us. Now in verse 18, my beloved friends, Paul gives to us what I consider to be the ultimate example or the ultimate mark of distinction of a person who has become new in Christ Jesus. And hence my subject this morning is the new home. Because what Paul is doing here in verses 18 through chapter 4 and verse 1, Paul is in essence saying to us that the place where more than anywhere else you will be able to determine whether or not you are indeed a born again believer is in the home. The home environment is the most direct reflection of the inner change that has taken place in my life and in your life as a born again believer.

Now tonight Dr. Neely is going to begin the first of a three part series. This is open to everybody in Spartanburg and Greenville and Greer and Columbia, Charleston, wherever you might be, you're invited to come and join with us. Because I believe my friends that there is nothing which is more important for you and for me today than to come to grips with the biblical dynamic of who I am, not out there but within the context of my own home and my own family. Let's read it together, verse 18. Let's go back to verse 17 because verse 17 introduces this passage, Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to the Father through Him. Wives, submit to your husbands as is fitting in the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, by the way that little word fathers there is actually a poor translation because in the Greek that word fathers is an all, it is a generic term. It's like the use of all the he's and the him's in the word of God, it refers to all people. And this here means in verse 21, parents, all of those who have children, do not embitter your children or they will become discouraged. Servants, obey your earthly masters in everything and do it not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.

Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart as working for the Lord and not for man. Since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward, it is the Lord Jesus Christ that you are serving. Anyone who does wrong to you, anyone who mistreats you in other words, will be repaid for his wrong. And the Bible puts it like this, vengeance is mine, saith the Lord and there is no favoritism. Masters, provide your servants with that which is right and fair because you know that you have a master in heaven. I'm going to suggest to you today as we look at this subject, the new home, that probably one of the major problems that we encounter in the world today is the inability of people to get on with each other.

Whether it is sons and daughters, whether it is brothers and sisters, whether it is husbands and wives, whether it is family, extended family members, whether it is nations against nations, it is the inability of one person to get along with another even though they may be neighbors. Now that ought not to surprise us because the Bible says that outside of the Lord Jesus Christ, that the fall of man has three basic biblical consequences. The fall of man, man outside of Jesus Christ has three consequences. Number one deals with amorality, number two deals with anonymity and number three deals with alienation. Amorality means that outside of God I have no morals, outside of God I do whatever I want to do, outside of God whatever feels good, tastes good, sounds good, touches good, looks good, I do.

That is an amoral, immoral person. But then there's anonymity, the Bible tells us that man outside of God is anonymous, he's lost, he's lost in a huge universe, he's lost in the cosmic data, he is lost in the computer systems of the skies, he is lost in the stars, he is lost in the cosmic universe, he doesn't understand himself, he doesn't understand who he is, why he is or where he is. Amorality, anonymity, but a third consequence of the fall of man is man's alienation. The Bible says my friend that man is alienated in three ways, he is alienated first of all from God, he is alienated secondly from himself and in the third place he is alienated from his fellow man.

And so what happens when Jesus Christ comes into your heart and life? Amorality, anonymity and alienation, these things are reconciled. Amorality, all of a sudden the immoral, amoral man becomes moral because of God, Christ Jesus living in him. The anonymity, the anonymous man becomes someone who is found because Christ Jesus gives to us our very basic intrinsic worth. Alienation, man is no longer alienated from God, he is reconciled to God and when he is reconciled to God he becomes reconciled unto himself and when he is reconciled unto himself he gets reconciled unto his fellow man. And then we come down to Colossians chapter 3. You see in chapter verse 18 Paul begins to talk to us my friends about the direct consequence of our relationship with Jesus Christ. My Christianity amounts to my doctrine plus my holy living. My Christianity amounts to who I am because I know who God is interpreted in the daily exercise of my daily life. And in verse 18 Paul plunges us right into the middle of the Christian home and God's Word begins to teach us my friend that when we become born again believers that there are four dynamics which are introduced into the Christian home.

Four dynamics, write them down. Number one, number one, there is a new presence in the home. That's right, if you're a born again believer my friend there is a new presence in your home and his name is Jesus. Now we don't have one of these signs, my wife and I need to get one. Have you ever seen these signs that are in a kitchen that say Christ is the unseen guest at every meal.

He is the silent listener to every conversation. You see there is a new presence in your home. Not only is there a new presence in your home but there is a new power which is made available to your home. That power comes from the Lord Jesus Christ. It means my friends that within myself I'm unable to take care of all the challenges of my home. But in Christ Jesus I not only have a new presence but I have made available to me the new power of his glorious resurrection.

There's not only the new presence and a new power but there is a new purpose in my home. Chapter 3 and verse 17 is all about it. The Bible says whatever you do whether it is in word or deed. Verse 23, look with me down at verse 23, Paul says it again. He says whatever you do work at it with all your heart as working for who? As working for the Lord and not for men because you know, you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord.

It doesn't matter what you're doing in the home. The Bible says that there is a new presence, there is a new power made available, there is a new purpose. But in the fourth place my friend with Jesus Christ in your heart, there is a new pattern, there is a new pattern for living in the Christian home. And that is the basis upon which Paul presents this material to us. That's the very reason why Paul begins to talk about the dynamic of the home. Why the home? Because friends, Christianity is best of all understood in the fabric of the Christian home.

Now I'm going to show you something very interesting. Because it is upon this basis that there are three major points that Paul makes in these verses from verse 18 through chapter 4 and verse 1. It is upon the basis of the presence, of the power, of the purpose and of the pattern of the Christian home that Paul, number one, issues the challenge to be godly husbands and wives.

We're going to see that in verses 18 and 19. Number two, it is upon that basis that Paul issues the challenge to be godly parents and children. And number three, Paul issues the challenge on that basis to be godly masters and slaves. You're going to say to me this morning, well pastor, why in the world does he bring masters and slaves?

I'm going to show you in a minute, I believe Paul had a reason for that. And that is that every person who lives as a part of a family is an integral part of either being and or both being a master and a servant. That's what goes on if you're not prepared to accept the role of being masters and servants interchangeably with absolute equality within the fabric of the home. You have got a prescription for a dysfunctional family as far as God's Word is concerned.

Now let's have a look at this more closely. Number one, on the basis of the fact that there is a new presence, power, purpose and pattern, there is the challenge to be godly husbands and wives. I want you to notice friends that Paul doesn't even mention children. You know, I've heard some people say to me that the only people who are families are those who have children. Folks, that is not biblical.

If you've ever heard anybody say that, they are incorrect. In fact, I'm going to tell you that some of the most vibrant, some of the most wonderful, some of the most effective, outgoing, loving people that I have ever encountered in my life, that are the most magnificent family units that you have ever seen are husbands and wives who either can't have children or don't have children. I know some couples who are trying desperately to have children. I can just imagine the incredible burden that is upon their hearts. I want you to know, my friends, that without children you are as much a family as anybody else is a family. I want you to know, friend, you might be a single person who has children or you don't have children. A family, my friend, is that unit where you live and move and have your being.

Whether you're a spinster, whether you're a bachelor, whether you're on your own, whether your children have left home and grown up, whether you lost a spouse, God's Word talks about the biblical prerogative of who I am within the context of who I am as a family. Forgive the interruption. We'll be back with the rest of today's message, A New Home, in just a moment with Dr. Don Wilton. Dr. Don wants me to remind you we're here for you. We're praying together at 866-899-WORD 24 hours a day. That's 866-899-9673 and connecting online at www.tewonline.org. Dr. Don might not be as comfortable with me sharing this. He's allowed me to share it in the past, so I don't think I'm getting out of line here.

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As a matter of fact, let's get back to it. Today's message, A New Home with Dr. Don Wilton. Now what does Paul say? He takes just husbands and wives. He says, I'm not interested in getting on with children yet. You know why Paul doesn't bring children into the discussion right away?

Youth specialists have told me that the major reason for juvenile delinquency is adult delinquency. I'm going to submit to you today, my friend, that until adults, adult family units, get their act together, we cannot expect our young people to follow. And we're going to discover in just a moment that when Paul gets down to parenting and children, he does this in the aftermath of what he said about the godly biblical prerogative, the challenge to be godly husbands and wives. And so what does he say exactly? He says, my friends, in verses 18 and 19, wives, submit to your husbands.

You know, if that doesn't send shockwaves through America today, I don't know. I mean, people just about fall over and have a heart attack and die. And most of the reason is because they don't understand what God's Word is saying. That little word submission there does not mean that wives are to pay undying homage. You see, friends, Paul is not saying here wives submit to your husband in terms of subservience before the royalty of the United Kingdom. What Paul is saying here, my friends, is that wives as godly people ought to willingly subject themselves to the position that God has placed her husband in.

What do we read in 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 3? The Bible says that Christ is the head of every man and every man is the head of the woman. The Word of God says wives submit to your husbands.

Become subject to them in terms of who they are. I'm going to go on record as saying, my friends, I don't believe that it is the rise of militant feminism that is destroying the United States as ungodly as that movement is. I'm going to say to you that it is the demise of men in the role and the capacity that God has called them to be. You see, you cannot understand verse 18 without understanding verse 19. Verse 18 is inextricably intertwined with verse 19. And verse 19 says, husbands, love your wives.

Isn't that remarkable? Husbands, love your wives. Now we don't always understand, I don't always understand that. You know, I began to study this passage of scripture.

You know, I know what that means. It's not just what you say, it's who you are. It's the little things that count. It's the totality of who I am as a husband juxtaposed against the totality of who my wife is as my wife. The word of God says, love your wives. That is a covenant love of which God speaks, my friend.

It is a willingness, it is an activity of self-sacrifice. You know, the Bible has the most unbelievable, delicately balanced equality between the sexes because the word of God teaches that the more I love my wife, the more she is going to love me and respect me as the husband. And the more she respects me as her husband and as the head of the home, the more I'm going to love her and it just gets into a beautiful marriage relationship. What is Paul saying about the new home? He's saying to me, Don Wilton, if you are a new man clothed in the new clothes of Christ Jesus, it must manifest yourself in the challenge to be a godly wife and a godly husband. Number two, it must manifest itself in the challenge to be a godly parent and a godly child. Verses 20 and 21, children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Parents, do not embitter your children or they will become discouraged.

What in the world does that mean? Once again, that delicate cycle is invoked in God's Word. One of the most incredible challenges to those who have children. John MacArthur wrote extensively about the subject and he wrote down 10 points, 10 reasons why children become exasperated. You see that little word, do not embitter, means do not cause your children to become exasperated. What Paul is saying here, my friend, it's all very well to say, children, obey your parents, but then we must not exasperate our children. What does he mean by that? I'm going to give you 11 points very quickly.

I hope you can write quickly. Number one, these are some of the causes for exasperation. Number one, overprotection. Have you ever met a mother or father who won't let their child out of their sight?

I mean not for anything. And if they do, there's absolute panic in the house. Overprotection. Number two, favoritism.

John MacArthur says that there are many parents who cause fractured families and all kinds of dysfunctional features in the family system as Christians because they show favoritism to one or another of their children. Number three, depreciating their worth. Depreciating your child's worth. Do you know that we living in a world today, my friend, that unless your son grows up and becomes an NBA star, he is worth nothing. Unless your child scores straight A's and gets every scholarship in the book, he or she is nothing.

I want you to know that according to God's word, my friend, everybody is somebody because we are everything in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. And rather than getting all over our children because they bring home a C, the bottom line ought to be not the A, B's or the C's, but whether or not they have done their very best. And if they haven't done their best, let's get in there and help them to become better at doing their best, not depreciating their worth. Number four, setting unrealistic goals. Setting unrealistic goals. Number five, no love, the absence of love in the family. Number six, not providing for needs. Number seven, lack of standards. John MacArthur reminds us, my friends, that there are so many households today in which there is a total lack of standards. I believe that children today are crying out for people to set standards for them. I've been in homes where children run riot, where they can come and go, be out all hours of the night.

Parents don't know where they are, what they're doing, who they're hanging around with. Paul says there is a challenge to be a godly parent and consequently to be a godly child. What a powerful challenge from God's Word today and God's servant, Dr. Don Wilton.

That's who you've been listening to if you just tuned in. And as he's been teaching and preaching from the pulpit, he's coming in the studio next with perhaps the most important few moments of our day. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now? Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross. Today I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my heart. In Jesus' name. My friend, I welcome you today into the family of God. This is exciting news. If you just gave your life to Christ, welcome to the family of God or maybe rededicated your life.

Welcome back, welcome home. We would love to walk with you in these next steps and Dr. Don's prepared some unique resources for you. If you gave your life to Christ or rededicated your life, just call and ask for them. 866-899-WORD is our phone number. That's 866-899-9673. Or you can connect with us online as well. Our website is www.tewonline.org.

That's www.tewonline.org where you'll find great resources like this. God's intended purpose for us never changed. We are not defeated. We are overcomers through Jesus Christ. The Word of God is alive and is relevant to all times in which we live. There are countless testimonies of people who walked with God in the Bible. They are our cloud of witnesses to encourage us on the Christian journey.

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Call us today at 866-899-WORD to request Series 1, Walking with God's Giants. Thank you for your continued partnership to help us share the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world. As we wrap up today's broadcast, we're looking forward to tomorrow. Get together with us. Colossians 4 is where we're headed about Surrounded by Friends. And I know sometimes we feel that and sometimes we don't. Know that tomorrow we'll gain some insight about how there are some friends that are closer than a brother, and you never will be disappointed by them. Join us tomorrow, and between now and then, stay connected online at TEWOnline.org.