Okay, Colossians chapter 3, and I'm going to read from verse 12 to chapter 4 and verse 1. Colossians 3, verse 12 to chapter 4 and verse 1. "Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another. If any man have a quarrel against any, even as Mashiach forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the shalom, let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful. Let the word of Messiah 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 whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Yeshua, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Servants, obey in all things, your masters, according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men.

Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive a reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Messiah. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done. And there is no respect of person. Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have master in heaven." So I'm going to go up to here, I'm going to read for now. And this passage, I really link together. Actually, verses 12 to chapter 4 and verse 1 are really very much connected together. I have said before, and I'm saying it again, that every epistle, every letter that Shaul, that Paul is writing to believers, he's writing to them, first of all, giving them teaching, doctrine, then he moved to the practical aspect.

It's so beautiful to see that in the writings of Shaul, of Paul. He first give us some chapters or some part of the letter, the first part of the letter, positional truth, doctrinal truth. Then he goes and he asks the believers to go and work out the truth that he has taught them. That's what he does in the book of Colossians. In the letter to the Colossians, he has given them plenty of information concerning the position that they have been brought into. And now he's leading them into where the rubber meets the road. We know it's very difficult, without the help of the Lord, to do the practical aspects of the life of the believer.

Or yes, intellectually, spiritually speaking, in our head, we know a lot of things. But in the practice, in our day-by-day walk with the Lord, that's where we find ourselves often failing. And I was thinking about it. Thank God for the forgiveness of the Lord Jesus. Thank God that we have the passage like 1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You see, if there would not be forgiveness, if there would not be the possibility to set aside the wrong that had been done, we would never be able to continue on moving. Because there is not a day in our life, there is not a moment, seemed to be in our life, that the believer, somehow, because of the old nature, doing, thinking, acting, saying, hearing, seeing, going, to do something wrong that we seem to do in our life.

So, beloved, what He is doing here now in these verses that I want to belabor at this time, He is moving now into an area that is very important in every person's life. You see, the verses that we have read in Colossians 3:12 to Colossians 4:1, none of us here is exempt from these verses. None of us here is outside of the responsibility towards these verses. None of us can say that does not apply to me. And if you remember, He said that we have been translated from one kingdom to another kingdom. We have been, as you remember, He said in chapter 1 and verse 13, He says He has delivered us from the power of darkness and He has translated us unto the kingdom of His dear Son.

You see, we have been moved, we have been shifted, we have been directed from one kingdom, from one area to another area altogether. Once we were darkness, now we are light. Once we have been serving and living in another kingdom, now we live in a kingdom that is associated with the Son of His love, with the Messiah Himself. And therefore, things must be different. A behavior ought to change. And that's why the word "put on" and "put off" is being mentioned a few times in this particular chapter. Remember, we've spoken about this before in verse 8 of Colossians 3. "Now put on," He says in verse 8. Then in verse 10 He says, "And have put on the new men." And now He began in verse 12 and He says, "Put on therefore as elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies and kindness and humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, forgiving one another, if any men have a quarrel against any, even as the Messiah has also forgiven you, so do ye." And I just want to elaborate just a couple more minutes, allow me, on the three things that we have already talked about, but please allow me to speak about this again today.

We have spoken about in verse 12 the three reasons why should I behave different? Why should I be different today than what I was before I became a believer? Three reasons He gives them in verse 12. A, number one, we have been elected. Number two, we have been holy, set apart. Number three, we are beloved of God. Why should I change my behavior? Why should I seek to live a way that is pleasing to the Lord? Because I have been chosen. Yes, Israel have been chosen, the chosen people of God. Israel was called to be a distinct nation in the world, to be a light to the nations.

The Christians, the Messianic, the Meshichiyim, the followers of the Messiah, also have been chosen in Messiah before the foundation of the world. And therefore, there is the responsibility that we ought to be different. We also have been called holy. We, in Hebrew we call it Kedoshim, set apart for God. That also are to motivate us to live different in this world. And the third reason He says we are being beloved of God. Being loved by the Lord. Can you imagine that the Lord can say I love you? If He would look, and He did, look deep in our hearts. And what does He find? There is no, nothing to attract us to the Lord.

The only reason that He loved us is coming out of His own heart. The heart of the Father. The heart of the Son. In the power of the Spirit of God, He sent the Son to come to this world and to die for us. He loved us for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. We are called beloved. We are being loved by God. And so, there got to be a change. And the change has to affect every area of our life. There have to be a change. And that's why He's saying to them, here's the things that we have to put on.

We put on things like bowels of mercies. Speaking about compassion for others. We have to put on kindness. Here is the thought, the kindness that God had towards us. We have to put it on. We have to literally put on kindness towards one another and towards others around us. Humbleness of mind. God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. Meekness. We have already talked about it in the past. Meekness is not weakness. Meekness, it is simply a power which is under control. That was a meekness. The Lord Jesus is called as a meek man. He says, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart." Yeshua is the one that we can learn from. He was the meekest man. Even much more than Moses. We read in the scripture that Moses was the meekest man upon the face of this earth, but Yeshua was supreme. And then long-suffering. Suffering long with each other. Long-suffering. That means that we have to simply bear, not being tempered, not being angry so quick. To have long sufferings. That's something that sometimes it's very difficult. But that's what we need. That's the new man. That's what is from the Messiah. That's the difference between what we are by nature and what we are with the new man in Messiah.

That's the need. And I can say, you know, sometimes, getting angry. It's easy because, you know, you get upset because somebody does something or says something. And the long-suffering, we don't have that patience. We don't take the time and say, "Lord, I'm committing it to you." You get upset. And you don't have that, what is called, long-suffering. And is somebody going to ask you, "How long is long?" The Bible doesn't give us. The measure is the measure of the Messiah. That's what God is expecting from us. He will give us the grace to do so as well. And then, forbearing with one another. How a company of believers can sustain themselves together unless they forbear.

Bearing with one another. Taking the time and not rushing, upset or angry or separated from one another. Just wait on the Lord. Forbearing with one another as we have here. Taking our time with one another. Just giving room for one another. We don't have to agree with one another on everything. We don't have to like the nature and the behavior all the time of one another. We have some things that we do, that you do and I do, maybe we don't like necessarily. But just to bear with it. If God had to bear with you. If the Messiah had to bear with us. Can you imagine?

He could have cast us out. He could say, "I can't stand these people." And yet, He bare with us every day as we walk here in this world. And then, one of the climate things He said, "And forgiving one another." Forgiveness is important, beloved. At the cross, on the tree, Yeshua forgave our sins. And therefore, there is a responsibility to forgive to one another. And to forgive. Forgiveness, it's like a liberation. When we harbor anger, harbor unforgiving spirit, we can't walk in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. We can't because that thing is laying heavy on our heart. And it makes our hearts dull.

It is not sensitive anymore. Callous. And you're no longer sensitive to others because you are harboring unforgiving spirit. That's wrong. And that's why the apostle is telling the believers. And by the way, you see that the very fact that He's telling this to them. He's not talking about unbelievers. He's not talking about the non-believing company community around them. He's talking. He must have been speaking to a local assembly, local congregation. We do not know how many people have been attending these meetings. How many believers were at Colossae. But He's writing to them and He says, you know. He says the very fact that He's mentioning it because there was an issue in a local assembly.

And some of it perhaps have been unforgiving spirit. People were not forgiving. Let me tell you, you will not grow spiritually if you harbor unforgiving spirit in your heart. The best thing is to confess it and to ask, Lord, take it away from me. Because I cannot grow and enjoy you any longer. And you know, beloved, when people hold unforgiving spirit, they take it with them wherever they go. They go home, it's there in the home. They go to a meeting place, it's there in the meeting place. They go to school and to work with family, gathering together. Wherever you go, you take yourself. I take myself.

And if I have an unforgiving spirit, it's just going to move around. And it's never going to be dealt with. The best way to deal with it is at the foot of the Messiah's cross where the Lord died for us on that cross for our sins. And yet, and you see, the glue, as we have mentioned already, the glue here for everything in these verses is simply after forgiving it. Remember that if anyone have quarreled against any, even as the Messiah forgave you, so also do ye. Forgive each other on the basis of Messiah's forgiveness for us. And above all things, he says, put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.

And you see, love covered a multitude of sins. Many waters cannot quench love, we read in the Old Testament, in the Hebrew Scriptures. Love covered mold to the sins. Oh, the love of God. You know, the love of God and the love for each other make a difference in every area of our life. And that's why he says, you know, put on those things. Put on love, he says. Love makes the difference. The love of God, unconditional love, makes different, makes a difference in the life of the believer. The love of God, the love of the Messiah, the love towards the brethren, towards one another.

That's what we need, to put on love. And so you see, in these verses 12, 13, 14 of Colossians chapter 3, he's dealing with the grace of God. He's dealing on the basis of the grace of God. Remove that which is dishonoring to the Lord. Put on that which is pleasing to the Lord. Put on the Messiah. Put on love. Put on as elect of God. Put it on. Practice it. Make it a habit in your life every time. When you get angry, ask the Lord to help you. When you get to be not humble and proud. Immediately, ask the Lord, help me there. I've gone wrong. I shouldn't have done so.

When there's no meekness, when there's no long suffering. Confess it and ask the Lord, help me right now so I can. This is putting it on. This is exactly like we get up in the morning, put our clothes on. Get dressed. Wash ourselves. Put our shirt, our pants, our shoes. And going out from the house. This is exactly what we need to do in those things. Practically put this on. Recognize the grace of God. And so next here, in verse 15. And I'm moving quickly because I want to deal with the last verses here. In the next verses, verse 15, he's talking about the peace of God.

The shalom that comes from Elohim, from God. Not shalom with God, but shalom of God. There's a difference between the peace with God and the peace of God. The peace with God we received when we first came to know the Messiah. Romans chapter 5 and verse 1 says this. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God. We have it. We have peace with God already because we have been justified through the Lord Jesus the Messiah. But beloved, how many times a believer who has peace with God does not have the peace of God? The peace of God, Philippians says, which passes all understanding. The peace of God, which is beyond human possibilities, beyond man.

The peace of God, which is beyond, we cannot comprehend it. We need to have the peace of God. That's why he said to them, let the peace of God rule in your hearts. And to which also ye are called in one body and be thankful. The peace of God, how much we need that. How much we need that? In the middle of trouble? In the middle of storm? When you have a sickness problem? When you have a financial problem? When you have family issues? When you have all kind of problems? The peace of God. Put it on. Let it rule you. You know that song that sometimes we sing?

When peace like a river, I sail it my way. You know how it came about? You know that was written by a man that lost his family at sea. When you think about it, sometimes how can a person have the peace of God? You see, the peace of God comes when we give it over to the Lord. Casting all our cares, like Peter says in 1 Peter 5. Casting things before the presence of the Lord. Saying, Lord, I lay my issues, my problems at your feet. Then the peace of God comes in. But you see, when we don't cast our cares before the Lord. When we, Lord, give it to him.

And tell him, Lord, tell him all our problems. Then we can't have peace. Yes, we are saved. That had been done once and for all through the work of the Messiah. We have the peace with God. There is not the peace of God in our hearts. Things are troubling us. And that's why we have to ask the Lord to give us the help, the thing that we need so much. The peace of God that will rule. We'll take charge. You know, a ruler, he takes charge over something, over someone. That the peace of God will rule in our hearts. Not easily said. Easily preached. It's another thing to practice this.

Thank God for those that have been an example for us. That's where they would cast the cares. He says, why don't you turn it over to the Lord? It's the best place to turn it over. You have a problem. Turn it over. Give it over to Yeshua. Don't carry this on your own shoulders. That's why he says, Come unto me, all ye that labor in the heaven. I will give you shalom. I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. In other words, it's to come to him and taking his burden and he carries our burden. We are taking his yoke. We identify with the person of the Lord and what he has done.

And he helps us to carry that load. He takes it over. And the shalom of God, the peace of God rules in the hearts of those that give it to him over. To which ye are also called in one body. You notice, by the way, he says you are called in one body. If you do that, and he does it, and she does it, and they do that, and I do that, the body of Messiah can enjoy the benefits of the peace of God even among each other. It's not only for one person to have the peace of God in his or her life and the others not.

It is we are called in one body. The gathering of the saints together is important. The believers who are functioning together is important. Every member of the body of Messiah assisting the other by example is important. Everybody is benefiting from that. And you notice, be ye thankful. So we have the grace of God in verse 12, 13, and 14. We have the peace, the shalom of God in verse 15. And in verse 16, we have the word of God, the word of Messiah. Let the word of Messiah 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.

Now he is moving from the grace of God, to the peace of God, and to the word of God, or the word of the Messiah. And the word of the Messiah is basically what we have in the scriptures, the word of God. We have the scriptures that have been given to us, and the scriptures, the word of God, the word of Christ, of Mashiach. What he says to us has, as it says here, let the word of Messiah dwell in you richly. What's happening when the word of God is being appropriated and dwelling in us? Well, it produces a desire to sing. You know, we are reading, you read the newspaper, you get discouraged.

You read the internet and what is placed there on the internet. There's a lot of information there that given you from all kind of people and communities and events of the world. I'm telling you, I'm reading a lot of it and you don't get encouragement there. It doesn't give me any desire to sing. But you have the word of Messiah dwell in your heart richly. Then, as he says here, in all wisdom, then teaching and admonishing one another. The word of Christ, the word of Mashiach would dwell in us, produce a desire to teach, to admonish, to encourage, to benefit our brothers and sisters. And then you begin to desire to sing psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

That's what the word of Christ, the word of Mashiach would produce. There is, by the way, the songs that we sing are also a teaching songs. That's why it's very important not to sing every song that somebody decides to give us to sing. Because some songs are not properly communicating the gospel, the word of God. Some songs have no biblical foundation. That's why we need to sing songs that are suitable in light of the word of the Lord. And that is like a teaching tool. You know, we sing, "I love the Lord because He hears my voice." "I love the Lord because He hears my prayer." Well, isn't it true?

We love Him because He first loved us. We love Him because He hears our prayers. We can lift up our voices and tell Him the needs that we have. He hears it. Last night I went to visit my wife Irene's aunt. And we said together she can't walk anymore. In fact, she has a lady who takes care of her right now. And this lady, Irene, took her for shopping on Thursday. And when she came back home, she found Irene's aunt on the floor. She thought she could walk. And she took a couple of steps and she found herself on the floor. And I talked to her yesterday.

She said, "Help me, God! Help me, God!" Until finally, thank the Lord, the lady came and helped her and picked her up and put her. And she told her, "Why don't you know that you can't walk?" So last night we sat together, all three of us, on her bed. And we prayed together. And I asked her, "Will you pray?" I asked them both to pray and I prayed. And she asked me, "Did God hear my voice?" And I said to her, "Yes." I believe that God hear your voice. Sometimes it seems like God does not hear. Sometimes you and I might think that God does not hear because your problems don't seem to be solved.

But let me tell you, according to my Bible, God does hear the voice and the cry of His people. He doesn't maybe answer the way you and I like it to be answered immediately. He maybe doesn't say yes to what we want. He maybe doesn't say, "Quickly, I'm going to settle your problems so everything is going to be over." But beloved, according to the Word of God, He does listen to the cry of His people. And we can trust it. The Bible said so. And that's what the Word of God teaches us. That's why we read, "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly." That's what He's saying.

Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. You see, the Psalms, we can perhaps say, is connecting us with Old Testament scripture. The Tehillim, Psalms. What David wrote. What we read, what Moses wrote. Psalms! You know, most of the Psalms were written by David and the experiences that he had gone through. I lift up my voice unto the Lord. You remember the Psalm we read in Psalm 130, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name." I probably misquoted the Psalm. But it's beautiful how the Psalmist can sing that song, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name." "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." You know, when you think about those Psalms that we have in the scriptures, it moves our hearts to think about it.

"Behold, Psalm 133, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." Sometimes we sing this song. "Hinema Tov, Humanaim, Shevet, Achim, Gam, Yachad." Some of these wonderful Psalms that we are singing together. And so, it is so precious to sing those Psalms. And then he says, not only the Psalms, he says in these verses, "Hymns." Now remember, hymns did not begin 200 years ago in Europe. They were already singing hymns in Colossae when the apostles were telling them almost 2,000 years ago. The hymns perhaps will refer us to the worship and songs of worship and adoration to the person of the Lord, exalting God, exalting the person of the Messiah.

And spiritual songs that we have here has to do with the teaching and the songs that edify and teach us spiritually, make us spiritual minded. Help us to grow spiritually. Singing with grace in your heart. And you notice how he said to sing with grace in your heart, not to each other, but to the Lord. Sometimes it feels like we are singing towards each other. Oh, he has nice voice. Oh, she has nice voice. I said, you know, the Lord is the one that we sing to. Don't forget that. And if you don't sing, you don't sing to the Lord. You don't sing to me or to anybody else.

When we sing, we sing to the Lord. We better sing to the Lord and not to each other. We sing to the one who loved us. Psalms, Old Testament, Tehillim. Hymns, that which speaks of God's greatness and goodness and love. And spiritual songs, that which reflect of what God did for us in teaching. In all kind of things what he has done for us. And it helped us spiritually being taught through these words, through the word of the Messiah that is dwelling in us. Now quickly, verse 17. So we have the grace of God in verses 12 to 14. We have the peace of God in verse 15. We have the word of God in verse 16.

And we have the name of God or the name of the Lord in verse 17. Whatsoever you do, in word or in deed, do all notice in the name of the Lord Yeshua, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Whatsoever you do. Do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. Do you know the name of Jesus? The Hebrew name is Yeshua. Yeshua means Jehovah, the Savior. And the name is not merely the actual letters that we say or word that we say, but in his name, it is in what he is expressing and desire. We do things in that which gives him pleasure, that which honors him.

For example, in Matthew 18:20, where two or three are gathered together unto my name, Yeshua said, "There am I in the midst of them." What does he mean when he says unto my name? It doesn't mean that every group of people gather together and they say, "Jesus, Yeshua, Yeshua all the time." He doesn't mean that. He meant where two or three are gathered together unto my name, which means that in accordance with my will, being subject and obedient to my desire, then I promise to be in their midst. We don't gather to the name of Holy Scriptures in Israel. We don't gather to the name of a certain movement, a certain name of a church or group of people.

No. We gather to the name of the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. That's the gathering center. And so if he is the gathering center, he is also saying that whatever you do in water or in deed, he says, "Do it in the name of the Lord." Seek to please the Lord. Seek to honor the Lord. Seek to get his approval for whatever you do in word or in deed. Now that is challenging, right? How do I speak? How do I say things? Can the Lord say, "Boy, what you say was really honoring to me. That was in my name." Can the Lord say, "I'm pleased with what you said or what you've done." Sometimes we have to put in shame our head in the dust and say, "Lord, it was nothing of you." "It was totally in the flesh.

That was me, the old nature. That was not exalting you at all, Lord. It's nothing of you." And we know it, by the way, because when we are on our own, alone with the Lord, we realize, "Boy, Lord, I shouldn't have done that. I messed it up here." And so he is saying, "Whatever you do in word or in deed, do it in the name of the Lord Yeshua, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." That's what he is saying here in these verses. So, beloved, listen, what we have covered in this time is verses 12 to 17, which gives us the grace of God, verses 12, 13, and 14, the peace of God, verse 15, the word of God, verse 16, and the name of God, or the name of the Lord, in verse 17.

Now, from here on, he is continuing now to an area that each and every one of us is part of the area of the relationship. From verse 18 to chapter 4 and verse 1, he is now moving to an area, that's where also the reality of the routine of the day-by-day living of the believer. Right here in the next verses, he still continues to speak to the same group of believers at Colossae, and he is now, you notice that he is speaking to the wives, to the husbands, to the children, to the fathers, to the servants, and to the masters. So, every one of us here, every one of us here must fit one area or another.

Every one of us is somewhere in one of those six individuals that he is speaking to. Some of us are here wives. Some of us are here husbands. All of us have been children and are children. Some of us are fathers. Some of us are servants. And some of us are masters. Now, notice what he is saying here. He is actually giving us three challenges. Challenge one is submission and love. This is verse 18 and 19. The second one in verses 20 and 21, obedience and encouragement. And verses 22 to chapter 4 verse 1 is devotion and fairness. Now, look, let's see, he began with the wives. I really wondered why he began with the wives.

You know, the wives seems to always, I am always getting the short end of the stick. It seems like the wives always seem to be the ones who are always being put down, seemingly. But you know what? I was thinking, you know why he began with the wives, from what I understand the scripture? Because the wife is a picture of the church, of the assembly. The wife is also a picture of Israel. Israel, in the Bible, is called the wife of Jehovah. The church is called the bride of Christ. And we also know that the marriage, supper of the lamb, we read in the book of Revelation.

So he began with the wife as a picture of the church, of the assembly, of the nation of Israel, of the woman is representing here that which is very dear to the heart of God. And you notice, wives, he's saying to the wife, wives, in verse 18, submit yourselves unto your own husbands as it is fit in the Lord. That is something, isn't it? Submission, every time we talk about submission, usually, the wife look at it and I think it had been a misunderstanding here. Submissiveness to the husband does not mean that the person is lesser in importance. It does not mean that there is no equality.

Submissiveness to the husband is simply a divine order that God had given in the scripture. You notice when the creation of the human race has happened, God has created a man. He took out of the dust of the ground, we have read today in Genesis chapter 2, out of the dust of the ground he had made men. But how did he make the woman? He put Adam to sleep. He made an operation. He took a rib out of his side and he built a woman. You notice the first time, by the way, in the Bible, the word built, Bana, in Hebrew. He built, it's not created a woman, but he built a woman suitable for men, suitable for the pleasure and enjoyment of Adam.

And that Adam will love her and cherish her and will enjoy her. And that's why, beloved, we read in the scripture that the woman in the divine order is to submit. The wife is in the divine order to submit to her husband. Now, submissiveness does not mean that she is secondary. It does not mean ruler the husband is to do as he pleases you. By the way, you notice that he doesn't speak to the husband. Husband, make sure that your wife submit to you. It says, wives, be subject. He's speaking to believers, to Christians, to believing ladies, women that are married. And he says, you know, wives, as unto the Lord, as before the Lord, you submit yourself unto your own husbands.

And you notice he says that, it's so beautiful. As you do it, as it is fit in the Lord. It's the right thing of doing this. It fits in the Lord. It's not something that is unfit. And it's fit in the Lord. God has set this in order. God has set it in this way. You notice the world around us is backwards. Completely backwards. In this relationship, because the men even messed it out so much. The world, the ladies, all the movements that have started today. Women's lib and all the freedom that they want. It's because men fail in a proper treatment, in a proper order.

But because we turned away from the word of God. Let me read you another verse in Ephesians. Go back to Ephesians chapter 5. And look what Paul is saying there to the believing women, wives. Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 22. He helps them to understand why they are to submit themselves to their own husband. He's saying, Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husband as unto the Lord. Why? For the husband is the head of the wife, even as the Messiah is the head of the church, of the assembly. And he is the savior of the body. Therefore, as the church is to be subject unto the Messiah, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Again, what does he do here? He takes the woman as a picture of the assembly. And he says, you see, just the same like the assembly are to be subject to the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, to our Lord. That's how the wife, by example, is to be subject to her own husband. And you notice it says in everything, providing that he doesn't ask her or expect from her to do things that are dishonoring to the Lord. And the word subject, we often think of the word subject, we think of it, we look at it and we say, Oh, you know what? It's only for the women.

You know what? In the Bible it says that we are to subject to every ordinance of men of the governments. Every one of us, men and women. We are to be subject to our bosses. We are to be subject everywhere. It's nothing new that the person needs to be subject. But to do it as unto the Lord. As unto the Lord. And in the scripture we have, you know, sometimes there are wives that have husbands that are unbelievers. And they do not know, they don't treat their wives in a proper way. Well, some believers don't treat their wives in a proper way. But I'm speaking about, what about if an unbelieving husband is existing?

And some of us, some person become believer. Their husband did not become believers in the Messiah. Well, what are we doing in a situation like that? Well, Peter have addressed it in 1 Peter chapter 3. Peter wrote this like this. Wives, 1 Peter chapter 3:1. "Be in subjection to your own husbands." And then he said that if any obey not the word. That means if they are not believers. They also may without the word be won by the conduct of their wives. While they behold your chaste conversation or your behavior coupled with fear. They will finally, somehow the Lord will use it to bring them to the knowledge of the Savior.

You see, if you go down you'll see how wonderful, like it says, "Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, whose daughters are ye." That's the way, that's the order in which the Bible gives us the responsibility of the wives. And it's precious because you know what it does? It gives us a picture of the way that the church, the assembly, ought to behave before the Lord. He is our head, he is our Lord, and we are to be subject unto him. Now, when he speaks to the wives, he doesn't leave the husband aside. Now he's speaking to the husband. Back in Colossians chapter 3 verse 19.

He's now speaking to the husband and he's saying, "Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them." Now this is speaking to us men, to us brothers, to us husbands. You know this? That it says, "Husbands, love your wives." It doesn't say, "Husbands, obey your wives, but love your wives." When it comes to the wives, it doesn't say, "Wives, love your husbands, but submit yourself." You know why? Because there is a problem with the need with the one and with the other. For the husband have an inclination to be bitter at times. Or to love somebody else. And that's why he's saying, "Husband," by the way, the word for love is agapeo in the Greek.

Unconditional love. You know how wonderful that the husband treats their wives in such a way that it is easy for the wife to be submissive to the husband. And, you know, we don't have to wait for a certain holiday or a certain birthday or a certain time to love our wives. We have to be done on a regular basis every day of our life. Yes, we fail. I noticed that. I fail. But the point is that the Scripture says, "Husband, love your wives and don't be bitter against them." You know, the makeup of the men and the women. God made us different. The husband is bitter against his wife.

It makes the wife heavy and not happy, not content, not feel secure and blessed because the bitterness that is coming out from the heart of the husband are putting her down. They're not elevating her. And so there is the responsibility for us as husband to love our wife unconditionally. In fact, it says to us in Ephesians 5, the parallel passage, Ephesians 5:25, "Husband, love your wife." How? Even as the Messiah loved the church and gave himself for her. Unconditional love. You know, the Lord Jesus did for us, for the body of Messiah, for the Kehillah, for the church, for the assembly. He gave himself. Completely laid down his life for the believer, for the church, for the body of Christ.

The husband is a picture of the Messiah. And the husband had the responsibility also to lay down, to give his life for his wife. To love her in such a way that he giving everything in order to make her happy, satisfied. Again, we can confess that we as men, as husbands, have failed in that as well. But you see, the standard is not going to be lowered. God is not going to lower his standard. We are to rise up to Messiah, to God's standard. And he's going to help us. And that's again, it's something we need to, you notice it's in connection with the putting on.

Walking in newness of life. Putting on the new man. That is what we need to do every day. Every day. Do you know why there are so many divorces today? We don't practice this. The husband doesn't love his wife in a proper way. She doesn't want to subject herself to her husband. And what you have, you go your way and I go my way. And it's not only in the unbelieving world. It is in a professing Christian community. Professing, believing community. And you know, that's the way the world will teach us. Well, you don't have to love your wife. You don't have to give her any account and seek to please her and be a blessing to her.

You don't have to. Well, if she doesn't accept it, you do what you want. And the world teaches, well, you don't have to subject yourself to your own husband. Who do you think he is? And then everybody does what they want. Well, look at the condition. That is exactly what happened in the present day world in which we live in. It happened to believers in our own life. It happened to believers. And that's sad. So here we have the two first requirements from the Lord, from the apostle who is helping the believers at Colossae. Wives, be subject to your own husbands as it is fit in the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them. Then he's moving down. Now he was talking about submission and love. Husbands and wives or wives and husbands. And then he's moving down. Just one more thing before we're going to move down. You know, it says in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 26, it says, "Let not the sun go down upon your anger, your wrath." I don't know about you, but the husband and wife who go to sleep at night, angry with each other, find themselves slowly and slowly separated from the relationship with each other. And you know what? It's true. We have to be so careful here about that.

Not to let the sun go down upon your wrath. That's why it says, "Be not bitter and angry against them." Because if we go to sleep at night and we are angry, we don't pray together. We don't tell the Lord, "Thank him for what you have done through the day and also ask for help." In a relationship, there is a wedge that's coming between. And that's why Ephesians 4 teaches us, "Don't let the sun go down upon your anger." It's not only between husband and wife. It can be in any relationship. When we're angry with each other, we don't deal with the problem. The sun goes down and we are leaving each other.

There's a wedge that's coming between us. And that is not good. Well, here's the next thing. In verses 20 and 21, we have another two words, "Obedience and encouragement." Obedience is in connection with the children and encouragement is in connection with the fathers or the parents. In verse 20, it says, "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord." You know, we all have been young children in the past. We're all children now. We all have parents now. But we are, of course, grown up. Our parents are older. But you notice that he says, "Children." That means, you know what he does? He teaches us that there were children at the meeting room.

He was writing in the letter that there were children are part of the assembly of the congregation in Colossae. And they listened to the Word of God. It's so wonderful, you know, when the Lord gives children and have also as they learn and they grow up and they desire to follow the Lord. And he works in their heart. He says, "Children, obey your parents." Notice he says, "In all things." And you notice he brings again, he says, "For it is well-pleasing unto the Lord." That's why you are to obey your parents in all things, because it is well-pleasing unto the Lord. God is being pleased when the children obey their parents.

Solomon wrote it like that in Proverbs chapter 6, verse 20 to 23. My son, keep thy father's commandment. Forsake not the law of thy mother. Bind them continually upon thine heart. Tie them about thine neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee. When thou sleepest, it shall keep thee. And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp. And the law is light. And reproof of instruction are the way of life. You notice how he's saying to them? My son, keep thy father's commandment and forsake not the law of thy mother. The children are to obey their parents in all things. Why? Because it is well-pleasing to the Lord.

The Lord is pleased with the obedience of the children. Ephesians give us, of course, the same parallel in Ephesians chapter 6. The children obey your parents in the Lord. For this is right. Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise. You notice in the law, honor thy father and thy mother is the first commandment that give us a promise. That you will have a long life upon the earth. Why? When the children obey their parents, it helps them in their conduct here in this world. And God promised a long life when they are obedient to parents. And those of us who are parents experience, some of us experience when you have a disobedient child, how difficult it is, how make it heavy on the parents.

And here's a way whereby the children are pleasing the Lord when they are obeying their parents. I'm moving down. We're talking about obedience and encouragement. In verse 21, he's speaking now to the fathers. And he says, fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. I tell you, it's amazing to see when we can provoke the parents, the father. In other places, it could be applied also to the mother. Sometimes we, as fathers specifically, can provoke our children to anger. Not quite dealing with them in a proper way. Not knowing when to say, what to say, how to say, not to be overly, overbearing upon them.

It's difficult. It's tough for the young boys and girls when they grow up in teenager time and so on. It's very difficult. And so he's saying, fathers, don't provoke your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Oftentimes, the children go to listen to someone else instead of listening to their own parents or to their own fathers because we have somehow didn't manage to keep them and not to provoke them to anger. It's a challenge to us as fathers as well. And finally, beloved, in verses 22, all the way to verse 2, chapter 4, verse 1, we have the third section is the devotion and fairness. So he's talking about to the servants and he's talking to the masters.

And listen to what he says in verse 22 to 25 to the servants. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh. Not with eye service as men pleases, but in singleness of heart fearing God. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as unto the Lord and not unto men. Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Messiah. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done. And there is no respect of persons. He's talking to the slaves, to the servants. And apparently, again, here you notice, apparently in the Roman Empire, there was slaves who got saved.

Onesimus was a running slave who got saved. And those slaves who got saved, now they were sitting together with their masters in the assembly. And you notice what he's telling them? He doesn't tell them slaves. Now you are saved. Now you stop to be slaves. By the way, you know in the Roman Empire, there was 50% of the population were slaves. 50%. Some suggested there was about 60 million slaves. Now one slave gets saved. And he becomes gloriously saved. And he belongs to the body of Christ. Well, when they gathered together, when the saints gathered together, the servants, the slaves, were part of the assembly, part of the congregation, praising the Lord together with their masters.

So what does he tell them? He says, you know what? Slaves, servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh. Obey them! Saying to them, not with eye service, as men's pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. In other words, now that you became a believer in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, obey your masters in the flesh. In other words, in our case, we can apply to our bosses. We're working in a workforce here, and we have a boss, we have a person who is our boss, and we work for him. Well, can you imagine if you own a store or something, and somebody worked for you, and when you turn your eyes, and you're going away, and the guy doesn't do anything.

Then when you come back, all of a sudden, he's busy, you know, he's doing something. Well, that's how we can be. We look at the clock, phew, the boss is gone, we already pretend we did something. It's not pleasing to the Lord, that's what he's saying. Not with eye service, as men pleasers, but with singleness of heart as unto God, fearing God. You know, we, our bosses, by the way, when we got a job, our boss, in a sense, hired us to do what he hired us to do. And so, it ought to be a delight to do what he hired us for, because we belong to him for those many hours that he hired us, and he paid for this.

To do it with singleness of heart, and to do it as unto God, fearing God. And that is important. And by the way, do you know how, in our world today, when they see a believer practicing this, and being a good workmanship, you know it makes a difference. He would allow this particular person to take more responsibility, he would put him or her in charge. That's, it's affecting any boss would love to have somebody that is responsible, that is doing his or her job. In the biblical time, you remember Joseph, Joseph, we are studying Joseph in our Bible classes. When he went to Egypt, when he went to Potiphar, and he served him, he was so faithful that he allowed him to take care of all his house, all the affairs at home.

And when something happened, and he was accused of something he had never done, and he went to jail, in jail they entrusted him with more responsibility. Until finally, he became second to fail. It's amazing what a difference it does make. And you know, a boss is pleased to see a faithful servant, a faithful worker. It says here in verse 23, Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as unto the Lord, and not unto men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Mashiach, the Lord Christ. Ultimately, whatever we do, we do it as unto the Lord, because after all, we are servants of the Lord.

In the book of Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 4 and verse 2, it says, It is required from a servant that he may be found faithful. And so the servants are to be there and to do, as they're gathering together, they get this instruction, they go back to the workforce, even to slavery. They are to do it as unto God. The Lord is the one that they are serving. Finally, in chapter 4 and verse 1, he's talking to the masters. And he says, Master, give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have a master or a Lord in heaven. How interesting this. You see, he's talking to the masters who had slaves.

And he's telling them, you know, masters, give unto your servants, those who serve you, those who are your slaves, your servants. He says, you know, give them that which is equal and fair. Treat them properly. Treat them properly. Treat them properly. It's the right thing to do. Recognize that one day, you're going to have to stand before your master in heaven. And you're going to have to give an account for that. And so, beloved, you and I are somehow finding ourselves in these areas of either wives or husbands. Simply submission, love. Either we are children or parents. Obedience or encouragement. We are either servants or masters.

Devotion and fairness. Here is where the rubber meets the road. The responsibility to put on the new man in this area. Even in the area of our relationship with our wives, with our children, with our husbands, with our masters, with our servants. There is a responsibility that we have and may the Lord help us to give us the grace that we need to practice this on a daily basis. We say amen to that. Amen.