Welcome to the Reign of Grace
radio broadcast. My name is Bill Parker. I'm the
pastor of the 13th Street Baptist Church in Ashland, Kentucky.
This program is sponsored by the members of Eager Avenue Grace
Church in Albany, Georgia, located at 1102 Eager Drive, Albany,
Georgia. I'll be bringing you a gospel
message of the sovereign grace and glory of God in the Lord
Jesus Christ from God's Holy Word. And now, the message. Part 1, this is part 2. And what
I'm showing from the scriptures here from the book of Colossians
is the Apostle Paul is writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
How believers saved sinners now. This is not a message to unbelievers
in the sense that he's instructing unbelievers how to act. Certainly
unbelievers can glean things from the scriptures by the way
of morality, but this is the message of grace and it's how
believers are to relate to one another within the church and
then in other relationships that they have here on earth. and
it has to do with relating in grace. Now first of all he's
speaking to the church and the message today really for unbelievers
is the message of every preacher who preaches the gospel to unbelievers
and that message is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be saved. That's what every book of the
Bible is an encouragement for sinners who are without hope
who are without Christ to flee to Him, to realize that you cannot
save yourself, salvation cannot be based upon your works, by
deeds of law shall no flesh be justified, and the only way of
salvation is the way of Christ and Him crucified. Salvation
conditioned on Christ, based on His shed blood and His imputed
righteousness alone. Now that's the issue of salvation.
But these are instructions to believers concerning relating
in grace. Now last week in part one I dealt
with the issue of how believers are to relate to one another
within the church. Now what is the church? The church
is the elect of God chosen before the foundation of the world and
given to the Lord Jesus Christ. And then we're told in the Bible
that the church is those who are redeemed by Christ on the
cross. When Christ died on the cross
He died for the sins of his people, his church. We're going to see
that out of the book of Ephesians today, which is a related passage.
Christ died, he shed his blood for the sins of his people, his
sheep he calls them, his church, God's elect, that were charged
and legally accounted and imputed to him. He suffered, he bled,
he died to put away their sins. And in doing so, he drank damnation
dry, he paid their sin debt in full, and he also established
righteousness, perfect satisfaction to God's law and justice that
was imputed or legally accounted in charge to them. And that's
the church. They're the children of God.
And then the evidence of those who are in the church or members
of the church is the new birth. You must be born again. Christ
sends His Spirit into the world to bring His sheep under the
preaching of the gospel. And the Holy Spirit sovereignly
and powerfully, miraculously, by grace, gives them spiritual
life. He imparts to them spiritual
life, spiritual knowledge, the graces and gifts of the Spirit,
faith to receive Christ, to reach out and lay hold of Him and rest
in Him as our only salvation. He gives him the gift of repentance,
that is, repenting from their dead works and their idolatry,
their sins, and running to Christ. He sheds abroad in their hearts
the love of God that is revealed in Christ. And all the gifts
and graces of the Spirit, humility, the desire to worship, gracious
obedience, all of these things, you see, and that's who the church
is. It's not a building, it's not a place where people meet,
it's the people of God. Christ said to Peter and the
disciples, upon this rock I will build my church. And then he
talks about how they're to relate to one another. Now, in today's
message, we're going to begin at verse 18. And the first thing
he talks about is how believers are to relate to one another
in marriage. Marriage, he says in verse 18,
wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit
in the Lord, as it is meet. as it is appropriate. This is
the way it is in the Lord. And then he says in verse 19,
Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Now
what he's talking about there is how believers are to relate
to one another in marriage in grace. Now make no mistake about
it, marriage in the Bible, the love relationship between a man
and a woman in the Bible that is ordained and sanctified in
the holiest state of marriage, That marriage is defined in the
Bible as one man and one woman coming together, leaving their
father and mother and cleaving to each other and each other
alone, being devoted to each other. It's not a marriage between
a man and a man or a woman and a woman. People today are talking
about trying to legalize gay marriages. They're trying to
talk about some sort of a relationship that is ordained of God. It is
not so. It is one man and one woman coming
together, leaving their former relationships to their mother
and father and cleaving to one another in love and holy matrimony. The sexual relationship is sanctified
in marriage between the husband and the wife. You know this is
an issue that is so hot today and politicians want to back
up on it, but don't listen to them. Don't listen to people.
Listen to God's Word. That's what this is all about.
Back up in verse 16 of this chapter, he was talking to believers in
the church and he says, let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly
in all wisdom. In other words, if you're a believer,
if you're a redeemed, regenerated person, you're to go by God's
word. And if you are, you will, because
God's word guides you and God's word is implanted in your heart.
And that's what he's talking about. So when you think about
the marriage relationship, when you think about the love relationship
between a husband and wife, then you let the word of Christ dwell
in you richly, not the word of men. not the opinions of men,
not what groups that form together that want to justify their sin,
what they say, not what is the popular vote today. I tell you,
this stance that we take in the Bible on marriage between a man
and a woman, husband and wife, it seems it's not the popular
way today, but it's God's way and it's the way of Christ. But
let me give you something to think about here. Now we're talking
about relating in grace. Now how does a husband and a
wife relate to each other in grace? Now we know that even
unbelievers can have somewhat of what we might call a happy
marriage here on earth. You see this is not only to Christians
as far as being able to have a happy marriage. Now they can
do it through psychology, they can do it through different ways,
they may love each other. But how does a husband and a
wife relate in grace? And here's what I want to tell
you. They do it, first of all, by making sure that their marriage
and their love relationship as husband and wife reflects the
love and the grace of God in Christ in their salvation. That's
how they do it. You see, marriage is not an end
in and of itself. Marriage was given by God to
the human race for the happiness and the holiness of the human
race in that sanctity of marriage, but it was also given to be a
reflection and a symbol, a living physical symbol, of Christ's
relationship to his church. Now let me show you that back
in the book of Ephesians, chapter 5. This is really important here
now. He talks about wives in verse
21 of Ephesians chapter 5. He says, wives, submit yourselves
unto your own husbands as unto the Lord. Now many women today
do not want to give the vow of obedience and submission to their
husbands. But you see, if your marriage
is going to relate in grace, if it's going to reflect the
grace of God, that's where it must begin. Submitting yourself. Why? Submit yourselves unto your
own husband, as unto the Lord. The husband is given by God the
place of authority in the home. Now you say, well I don't like
that. Well that is God's Word, you see. And if you don't like
it, that's just your rebellious nature coming out. That's rebels,
you say. That's not the grace of God.
Now, it says, wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto
the Lord. Wives, your submission and obedience
to your husband in the marriage relationship doesn't stop at
your husband. It's unto the Lord. It's obedience
to the Lord. Now, somebody says, well, does
that mean whatever the husband says goes? Absolutely not. Now,
this doesn't let the husband off the hook. Many husbands treat
their wives terribly and abuse their wives, not just physically,
but mentally. Many of you husbands, you don't
know the way of grace in the Bible either because you either
physically or mentally or emotionally abuse your wives, and that's
not right. You see, here's the responsibility
of the husband. Look at verse 23. For the husband
is the head of the wife, even as Christ... Well, verse 23 speaks
of submission of the wife to the husband. Read it on too.
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the
head of the church, and He is the Savior of the body. Just
like Christ is the husband of the church. You know, the church
is represented in the Bible as the bride of Christ, as His wife,
His body. And Christ is the bridegroom
and the husband. And what it's talking about is
this. Just like Christ is the head of the church, the husband
is the head of the wife. He's the authority. Just like
Christ loves his church, the husband is to love his wife.
And that's what I was getting to earlier about the husbands
and their responsibility. It goes on to say, husbands,
love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave
himself for it. But we'll get to that more in
just a moment. But like Christ loved the church, How did Christ
love the church? Oh, the fullness of His love,
we can't even begin to understand and get to the depth of it. It's
like when I preach a message, sometimes I'll deal with a scripture,
and I'll come to the end of a book of the Bible, and I tell somebody,
I say, well, I got to the end of it, but I didn't even begin
to touch the depth of it. And that's the way it is with
Christ's love for His church. We may see it written down in
scriptures, we know it's true, we experience it, but will never
be able to get to the depth of it. All his love for his church.
The Bible says in John 13 and verse 1 that he loved his own
until the end. How much did he love his people,
his own people? He loved them enough to take
their place under the law of God and die for their sins, suffer,
bleed, and die. He loved them enough to be buried
and raised again the third day and ascended unto the Father
and he loves us enough to ever live to make intercession for
us. He takes all responsibility for the church. Husband, you're
to take all the responsibility for the well-being and care of
your wives. Just like Christ took all the
responsibility of the well-being eternally and eternal care of
his bride. Husbands, you're to do all that
that's required of one who loves his wife. You see that? Christ
met all the conditions. Christ died for his bride. Christ gives her all the blessings
that's in him. The Bible says, he that spared
not his own son, how shall he not with him freely give us all
things? That's how much he loved the
church and he gave himself for it. He died for the sins of his
people. And he gives them everything
in return. Even her wedding garment is of Christ. It's his righteousness
imputed to her. And so that's the way that the
relationship of grace between husbands and wives. But like
I said before, he says in verse 24, Therefore, as the church
is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands
in everything. That is, in everything that's
honoring to God. In everything that's good for
the wives. You see, Christ, in being the authority over his
church, he never abuses his bride. Christ never abused his church.
He never abused it physically. He never abused it emotionally,
financially, or in any other way. He always did what's best
for his church. He never treated her without
respect, you see. That's the way it is because
Christ loved his own. And he is no respecter of persons.
and we give him all respect. We worship him and serve him.
So Christ took all the responsibilities. So now, go back to verse 25. Now husbands, some of the wives
may say, well my husband should I do anything he says? No. No,
because he may tell you or command you to do things that are not
good for you, not good for him. Dishonoring or disobedient to
God. So where's the responsibility
of the husband? He says in verse 25, husbands
love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave
himself for it." Now, husbands, that's perfect love to your wife. That means you, that kind of
love never abuses, that kind of love never, never does anything
that would be bad for the object of the love. That's perfect love. And I'm going to tell you something,
husbands, There's not a wife on earth who would not willingly
submit to the husband who loves her this way. And that's the
way it is with God's people in Christ. We willingly submit to
Christ because of his love for us. And so he says he gave himself
for it, verse 26, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with
the washing of water by the word, talking about the church. That's
regeneration and conversion. Christ redeemed us, justified
us, and then he sanctifies us and cleanses us with the washing
of water by the word. Verse 27, that he might present
it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or
any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.
This is how he presents the church. This is not how the church presents
herself. You see, we don't cleanse ourselves.
We don't make ourselves holy and without blemish. He does,
Christ does, by washing us in His blood and clothing us in
His righteousness and He presents us to Himself in this way. So
He says in verse 28, so ought men to love their wives as their
own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself. Because, now what does that mean?
See when two people, a husband and wife are married, they become
one flesh. And in other words, when she's
hurt, I hurt. Husband, do you realize if you
abuse your wife in any way, you're actually abusing yourself? You
may not even know. You may be so callous and so
uncaring that you may not even feel it, but you are. You're
one flesh in the Lord. And he says, for no man ever
yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth it and cherisheth
it, even as the Lord, the church. And then he goes on to say, for
we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones, that
is of Christ. We're one with Christ. And for
this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall
be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh."
Now he said, look at this, now here's what I was talking about
earlier, how marriage is not an end in and of itself, but
it's to typify, and it is to reflect the relationship of Christ
and His church. He says, this is a great mystery,
but I speak concerning Christ and the church. So that's how
believers are to relate to one another in marriage. Now go back
to Colossians chapter 3. Let me go through these verses
quickly. He next speaks of the relationship
of parent and child. He says in verse 20, children
obey your parents in all things for this is well pleasing unto
the Lord. He says fathers provoke not your children to anger lest
they be discouraged. Obedience to parents. That's
how a child should relate to his parents. It's certainly one
who believes in Christ. You know, the Bible teaches that
one of the main signs of the last days before Christ returns
is such a general rebellion of children against parents. And
my friend, we're seeing that today, but it ought not be so. And especially in the church,
especially in grace, those who know Christ Children, obey your
parents unto the Lord. But now it also says fathers,
and it especially mentions fathers because usually the fathers are
the sternest ones. And he says, fathers, provoke
not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Don't beat
them down. Don't set up rules and regulations that are unreasonable. Listen to them and love them.
Now you be the authority. and you punish them when they
need to be punished, and you set the rules of the home. But
be loving, be compassionate, be reasonable. The next relationship
he mentions has to do with what we would say today would be employers
and employees. It's in the realm of servants.
Verse 22. He says, 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
you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men, knowing
that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance,
for you serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall
receive for the wrong which he hath done, and there is no respect
of persons." Now many people will readily throw out any passage
of Scripture that mentions masters and slaves. Over in chapter 4
and verse 1 it starts off with masters. Well, slavery was an
institution back then. Slavery was a reality back then.
Now, let me say this first of all. The Bible never condoned
or promoted forced slavery. That is, going in and conquering
people and putting them into slavery. Back during the Civil
War, they would talk about how people would use the Bible to
condone that. They were wrong. The Bible never condoned forced
slavery. Back in the book of Exodus, it's
called kidnapping. But sometimes, in the process
of time, over the years, when somebody was conquered and people
were born into slavery, born slaves, they were household slaves.
And it was like more of a relationship, like a family member, sometimes
even like an employer and an employee. And then other times,
there were bond slaves, that is people who got themselves
in debt and they had to sell themselves out to the one whom
they owed. And it was bond slavery, had
to serve so many years. And what it's talking about is
how we are to relate in grace to those whom we serve, that
is, whether in a job or whatever. And he's saying here that if
you work for a person, whatever, then you obey that person on
that job. And he says, not with eye service,
that is, not just with a look, not just outward eye service
as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. In other
words, God's the one that gave you that job. You say, well,
I don't like this job. We'll look for another. But while
you're on that job, God gave you that job, now you act responsibly. And he says, whatsoever you do,
do it hardly, as to the Lord and not unto men. In other words,
act this way, relating grace. You're not working for that man,
you're working for God. Not to be saved. This has nothing
to do with your salvation. Salvation is by grace in Christ. This has to do with the evidence
of grace. This is relating in grace. And
he says, knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward
of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ. Now he's not
talking about earning your rewards in heaven there by working a
good job or doing a good job at work. You don't earn your
rewards in heaven. The Bible never teaches that.
The reward here, it says, is the reward of the inheritance.
What is an inheritance? An inheritance is not something
you work for and get based on your working for. An inheritance
is something that someone else before you, an ancestor, works
for. He earns it. And then when he
dies, upon his last will and testament, he bequeaths it to
you so that you gain the benefit from his work, what he earned. And that's the way salvation
is. Christ is the one who earned our salvation. And upon his death,
the last will and testament, which is the preaching of the
gospel, he bequeathed it to us. so that we who know him and trust
him and believe in him, we receive the benefit of what he earned,
not what we earned. So why does he put it here? He's
showing that when we relate in grace to our employers, when
we relate in grace, it gives evidence that we are people of
the inheritance, for we serve the Lord Christ. And those who
do wrong in their jobs, those who do not give a good day's
work, if they don't receive a good day's pay, they didn't earn it,
they didn't deserve it. And if they get fired from their
job, then that's okay, because there's no respect of persons.
Over in verse 1 of chapter 4, he goes to the master now, the
boss. See, this doesn't let the boss off the hook. You see, there's
no relationship here. that lets anybody off the hook
say, well, I can do whatever I want to, I can treat people
any way I want to. No. He says, Master, give unto
your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that you also
have a master in heaven. If you're a boss, you treat your
employees with justice and equality fairly. Because I'm going to
tell you something, you have a master in heaven. God's in
control. God is the boss, you might say. He's in control. And he says
in verse 2, he concludes his exhortations, he says, continue
in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving. God's people
are to be a praying people. They're to relate to one another
in prayer, praying for one another. He says in verse 3, with all
praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of
utterance to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am also
in bond. When Paul wrote this epistle,
he was in chains, he was in prison. And he says, pray for me, that
God would give me an opportunity to preach the gospel. The mystery
of Christ there has to do with the gospel, the gospel of God's
grace, who Christ is, the person of Christ. Who is he? He's God
and man in one person. And then what he accomplished
at Calvary, what did he accomplish in his obedience unto death and
his blood shedding? He accomplished the redemption
and the justification of his people. And he said, that's the
reason I'm in bonds, because I preach the gospel. And he says
in verse 4, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak. In other words, I want to demonstrate
the grace of God when I preach the gospel. He says in verse
5, walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the
time. In other words, when you relate to people outside the
church, unbelievers, be wise and make good use of the time
that God has given you. And here's how he says to do
it in verse 6. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned
with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every
man. When you speak to those who are outside the church, outside
the fellowship, walk in wisdom, make good use of the time that
you have in marriage, in employment, in whatever way, And when you
speak, let your speech be seasoned with salt. Speak with grace.
Now that doesn't mean speak peace where there is no peace. But
it does mean tell them the truth in love. Tell them who Christ
is. Tell them about sin and who they
are and the impossibility of salvation. based on anything
but the blood and righteousness of Christ. Tell them the truth.
They may not receive it well, but you tell it in love, hoping
and praying that God will bring them to salvation. We're glad you could join us
for today's message. If you would like to receive
a copy of this message or if you would like more information
about Eager Avenue Grace Church, remember we are located at 1102
Eager Drive in Albany, Georgia. You can call us at 229-833-9000.
432-6969, or visit our Reign of Grace website
at www.rofgrace.com. Thank you, and may the Lord be
with you.