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July 23, 2017 | Pastor John Bayles | The Freedom of Kingdom Living | Colossians 3:18-25
The Freedom of Kingdom Living
Colossians 3:18-25
Human relationships are impossible to maintain, except in Christ. We must never forget that we are in a redemptive relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This is true now and it will remain so throughout out lives. Ultimately, we will be sustained in heaven, in an this same eternal redemptive relationship (note: Eph.2:7). In the light of our redemption, Paul will make several appeals to those engaged in classic human relationships of his day: wives and husbands, children and parents, slaves and masters. Often the apostle Paul is accused of being a chauvinist and someone stressing the maintenance of a pro-slavery context. As we will discover today, this is far from the truth of what he is emphasizing. The Christian life is a reflective life. Jesus said, “freely you have received, freely give” (Mat.10:8). Paul is viewing human relationship from a new covenant context. We can act, because Christ has acted first. Jesus Christ has placed us into a new kingdom with new standards of acceptance and behavior. As Paul stated early in the letter, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Col.1:13). As ones living in this new age, we exercise new behavior in human relationship, not determined by the worlds mandates, but by the standards of the Kingdom of God. Today Paul will show us that there is freedom in Christ that can be exercised no matter what the human condition for: "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (Joh.8:36).
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