INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CHRISTIAN HOME

Colossians 3:18-21

Morning Meditation 8/25/2014

"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."

INSTRUCTIONS TO WIVES

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord."

Spurgeon said in one of his sermons, "Brethren, it is very, very delightful to think that if I preach a sermon for Christ it is accepted, but I want you to think that, if you housewives are about the house, doing your business there for your husband and children, you are just as much accepted there as I am when I am preaching."

It is easy to remove the wives from the place of importance in the Scriptures. It is a mistake to do this. There are women listed in the genealogical tables of Matthew Chapter One. How could Jesus have become incarnate without the woman. Jesus had to be the "Son of man" and to be the Son of man He had to be born of woman. Mary was the chosen virgin to bring forth the Christ Child. Genesis 4:1, "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD." The virgin birth was prophesied and Eve thought Cain was the fulfillment. She was wrong in thinking Cain was the promised one but she was not wrong in living in expectancy of His birth.

His birth was to be a sign and the sign was the miraculous conception and the virgin birth. Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Some try to define the word for "virgin" as any young unmarried woman. The natural birth of sons was taking place every day in Israel. And all of them were depraved from conception and birth. Tell me how the natural birth of a son can be a sign? There is no way the natural birth of a son could be a sign. God said through Isaiah "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us" (Matt. 1:23).

Wives are special and are to be treated with care as the weaker vessel. A man who mistreats his wife is disobedient to God and will give an account. Next,

INSTRUCTIONS TO HUSBANDS

Colossians 3:19, "Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them." The word for love here is "agapao" and means, "to love dearly." It is the same love that God has for the world as stated in John 3:16. So there is sacrifice in that love. The verb "agapao" is present active imperative.. The present tense means do it right now. The active voice is where the subject does the acting. The active voice is to be man's choice. Then finally it is in the imperative mood. The imperative mood is a command expressing urgency. Man is under orders from God to treat his wife right. It is urgent because there is no greater illustration of love and care for man than in the home. Next,

INSTRUCTIONS TO CHILDREN

Colossians 3:20, "Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord." When Children are saved this is a verse that applies to them. Any child should feel complimented that God would include him in His instructions.

Do the children want to be well pleasing to the Lord? Then there must be obedience to parents in all things. God does not say, "If what your parents tell you to do is pleasing to you obey them. He says, "Children, obey your parents in all things." Notice the outcome of this: "For this is well pleasing unto the Lord." Next,

INSTRUCTIONS TO FATHERS

Colossians 3:21, "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged." The first word to fathers is "provoke not your children to anger." The word provoke translates "erethizo." This word means to always be quarreling, to be contentious, debate and strife. I have known some parents who never had a good thing to say to their children.

Barnes says, "A command addressed particularly to fathers because they are at the head of the family, and its government is especially committed to them. The object of the apostle here is, to show parents that their commands should be such that they can be easily obeyed, or such as are entirely reasonable and proper. If children are required to obey, it is but reasonable that the commands of the parent should be such that they can be obeyed, or such that the child shall not be discouraged in his attempt to obey."

Paul reveals the outcome of a hard-nosed dad toward his son. Colossians 3:21, "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged." You can make a child obey but you can't make him like it; the outcome is anger and discouragement. This child will leave home as soon as possible. Then the opportunity to train him in the ways of the Lord is lost.

May the Lord bless these word to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White