Let us open to Paul's letter to the church at Colossae, chapter 3. We read beginning in verse 20 of chapter 3. Children, be obedient to your parents in all things. for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not exasperate your children so that they will not lose heart. Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a master in heaven. Lord, I pray we will hear You this morning, each in our own place, whether children, parents, slaves, masters, servants, employers, wherever we might be, Lord. I pray we will hear You and respond rightly in obedience. The gospel, the good news, is that those who have been born again of the Spirit of God, who believe in Jesus Christ and in His work of redemption, and are now indwelt by the Spirit of God, are already justified by God. Already not guilty. And there's more good news that comes with the gospel. Now that the sinner has been born again, he has been equipped by God to resist the temptation to sin and to live in the manner that God desires him to live. The sin nature is not entirely eradicated, but at the time of the new birth, if you've been born again, God began a work in you, as He has begun a work in every believer. And that work is to restore the believer to his own image, what was lost by Adam in the garden. And so God commands those who are His, all those who are His, that we must turn away from our sin. turn away from the ways of the world. As Paul puts it, put to death immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. If you're coveting something of someone else's, it's idolatry. And he says, why? Because of these things the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience. So put them all aside, he says, anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech. If we haven't put those things away, It's time to do so. All of them. All the time. Paul has called on saints everywhere in every age to be doing what? To be seeking the things above. The things that are of Christ. To set our minds on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth. To put on hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and love, and to live with hearts that have put those characteristics on. Last Lord's Day we saw the application of these teachings to the God-given institution of marriage. And to the specific roles designed by God for both wife and husband. And this morning we're going to see the application of these truths to God's design for children and their parents. And also for slaves and their masters. Now throughout this letter, we've seen that it is Christ whose example we are called by God to follow. That's whose example we're to follow. To be Christ-like is to live in all things in light of our relationship, not to other people, but in light of our relationship to God. We engage with others. We witness to others. But we don't engage with them on the basis of how they treat us. We engage with others on the basis of how God has blessed us. That's our motivating force, the blessing of God. And our first and most important duty is always to Him. He calls us to never respond in an ungodly manner to the words and actions of others. I know it sounds like a high standard. It is Christ's standard. And He's equipped you all to be able to meet this standard. It's our trust in our Heavenly Father and in His promises that enables us to do this, that motivates us to want to live in this way. And Paul has also taught us to immerse ourselves in the Word of God so that His Word will richly dwell within us. When we take the Scripture into our heads and into our hearts, our thinking and our desires begin to reflect not our selfish thoughts and desires, but Christ and His righteousness. That's why it matters that we read the Scripture regularly. When His Word governs our thoughts and words and actions, our thoughts, words, and actions will reflect Him and not the fallen world. And it is one or the other. And this holds true in every earthly relationship. Verse 17, Paul said, Whatever you do, word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. giving thanks through Him to God the Father. So last week we saw that all of this instruction did not lose its application when we came to the subject of marriage. And this morning we're going to see that this instruction does not lose its application in the relationships of children and their parents, and slaves and their masters. Last Lord's Day, we noted a distinction between God's calling of wives to be subject to their husbands, on the one hand, and the duty of children to obey their parents. There are two different words here, and they have two different meanings. Scripture does not suggest the slavery or servitude of the wife to the husband. And Scripture never calls for the husband to make his wife submit. In this morning's passage, however, the servitude of the slave is already assumed. And children are directly commanded by God to obey their parents. Now there are also similarities in all three of these relationships. Husbands and wives, children and parents, slaves and masters. The wife's submission to her husband and the obedience of children to their parents and slaves to their masters are all based on the same thing. They're all based on the submission to the lordship of Christ. That's the key here. It's the key in all of this. All three are, at root, a matter of one's relationship to the Lord and their submission and surrender to His will. And many of the qualities that are desirable and necessary in a husband and wife also have special application to children and their parents. Husbands and wives must faithfully pray for one another. And so too, parents must pray for their children and children for their parents. And as it's the duty of the husband to lead his wife into active involvement and service in the local church, it's the duty of both parents to raise their children in a local church that upholds the authority of the Word of God in all things. And as both spouses must love one another enough to confront the other and correct patterns of sin, parents bear the responsibility of providing loving correction and admonition and even discipline, when necessary, to their children when they drift from the commands of God. And perhaps above all, parents must also be examples of godly obedience to their children. And they must at all times be seeking God's guidance and His direction in raising their children. What He's given us in His Word is pure and true. Now for children, God provides one simple but extremely important command. Children, be obedient to your parents in all things. Here God affirms the fifth commandment. He affirms His own desire for the conduct of children. And He provides a very important reason to obey this command. Obedience to parents, He says, is well-pleasing to the Lord. You see how these things come down very simply and very quickly to do we want to serve our Lord. Obedience to parents. Yes, it's pleasing to parents, but it's pleasing to our Lord. And frankly, it should not really be necessary to add anything to this verse. Obedience to parents is what the Lord wants from you. If you're not obedient to your parents, our Lord is displeased with you. Every time you are disobedient to your parents, our Lord is displeased with you. This is all based on the moral law of God. Fifth Commandment, Exodus 20, 12. Honor your father and your mother. And then he gives a reason. That your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you. Now that's a reason for Israel. Deuteronomy 5, 16. Moses adds that it may go well with you on the land which the Lord your God gives you. And in his letter to the Ephesians, written about the same time here as the letter to the Colossians, Paul cites both of those passages in Exodus and Deuteronomy. He says, children obey your parents in the Lord, Ephesians 6-1, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise. so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth." Now under the law of Judaism, there were dire consequences for dishonoring parents. If you are a disobedient child, you didn't want to live in those days. Exodus 21 15, he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. Exodus 21, 17, he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. And Deuteronomy 21, 18, if a man has a stubborn or rebellious son who won't obey, and when the parents chastise him he won't even listen, then his father and mother shall seize him and bring him out to the elders of the city at the gateway of his hometown. In verse 21, Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death, so you shall remove the evil from your midst. And all Israel will hear of it in fear. Now look, we're no longer under the penalties of the law of Judaism. But we are still under the moral law of God. And that means the fifth commandment, honor your father and your mother. Which Paul interprets here as including obedience to them in all things. That fifth commandment remains very much in effect. Jesus Himself affirmed the continuing vitality of this commandment in Matthew 15, verse 4. God said, Honor your father and mother, and he who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death. And we find many proverbs. And there were many more than what I'm going to show you this morning. But many proverbs that speak of the importance of obedience to parents. Look, God designed the family. He instituted the family as He instituted marriage. And He designed it to work in this way. He wasn't trying to waste some spaces and some pages in Scripture by talking about these things. So when he says, Proverbs 1.8, Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and do not forsake your mother's teaching. He means those very things. And he means those things are for your good. Now disobedience is for your bad. Proverbs 30.17, The eye that mocks a father and scorns a mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it. Well, this may be figurative language, may not be. But Proverbs 620 is the one I want to show you this morning. It shows us the blessing, the joy that comes from obedience to your parents. And the reasons why such obedience is of such a benefit, not just to the parents, but especially to the child. So look at Proverbs 620. My son, observe the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother. You notice this is about both parents. And he says this, bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your neck. The godly things you're taught by your parents. And then he says this, why? Because when you walk about, they will guide you. When you sleep, they'll watch over you. When you awake, they will talk to you. The commandment is a lamp and this teaching is a light. And reproofs for discipline are a way of life. The instruction of parents. founded in the Word of God, will guide and watch over and speak to a child all of his days. And it'll stay with you after you're no longer a child when you're grown. This instruction will be a light in the child's life. On the other hand, Romans 130, we see that disobedience to parents is one of the marks of paganism. Now if you're a pagan, that means you're going to spend eternity in hell. And it's going to be a torturous existence. It's not going to be pleasant. It won't be a party. It will be punishment that never ends. But we find disobedience to parents here in Romans 128 through 32 included with such sins as wickedness, greed, murder, deceit, malice, insolence, arrogance, and the sins of being unloving and untrustworthy. What I'm saying to you is, and what the Word of God is saying to you, is that disobedience to parents is not a small or minor sin. It is a major sin. It is direct disobedience and rejection of God. And look at Romans 1, 32. Those who practice such things, including disobedience to parents, are worthy of death. That's New Testament. So disobedience to parents is not a minor sin. It is a sin that condemns. And in his second letter to Timothy, Paul again included disobedience to parents with a long list of crimes against God and man, all of them sins which He says condemn. Now godly parents don't withhold guidance from their children. And when necessary, discipline. It's God's way that children must be taught and disciplined when it's necessary to do so. We know this from both Scripture and experience. Children are not born as mature persons. They must learn and grow until they become adults. And remember, even adorable little children are born in sin. They're born with a sin nature. Psalm 51 5, Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. The child is dependent on you, the parent. teach him the ways of God. We must all be taught not to sin. We must be taught not to sin. We must all be taught what good is in God's sight. And that teaching is first and most importantly the responsibility of parents. So Paul here exhorts the children to obey their parents in all things. Because the parents have a big job and they need your cooperation. They need you to hear them and to listen to them. They're here because they believe what's written in Scripture. And they want to teach you what is in Scripture. And God wants you to be obedient to them, to hear them. And this is well pleasing to Him. Now, the only exception to this, of course, is the limitation that we see in Acts 529. We must obey God rather than men. Scripture never instructs us to disobey God, even when directed to do so by our parents. But that's the one and only exception. See, it's easy when they say, well, let's get in the car and go up to the pool or whatever. That's one thing. That's easy obedience. But kids, you are called to render obedience not only to commands that you like or that you think are fair, but also such as are or may seem to you to be unreasonable. Some are willing to obey their parents only where the instruction is not difficult or isn't inconvenient. But children must always be mindful that disobedience to parents ... And if you hear nothing else, hear this. Disobedience to parents is disobedience to God. One more thing. This command is for both father and mother. They're both placed in the same level as far as the child is concerned. The child's obedience is his one obligation. And as long as you're being cared for by your parents and provided for by your parents, the parent-child relationship remains. And you must be obedient to them in all things. Because this is well pleasing to the Lord. Okay. Fathers, don't exasperate your children so they will not lose heart. In the parallel passage in Ephesians 6-4, Paul writes it this way, Fathers, don't provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Well, having just now reminded the children of their obligation to their parents, Paul now proceeds to teach and instruct fathers. Do not exasperate your children. That's easy to do. It's easy to do. Easier than we think. Now Paul does not expressly mention mothers in this admonition. Perhaps the Lord knows that mothers already understand this and that fathers need to hear it. But clearly this command applies to both parents. So how does a parent keep from exasperating his children? Well, first, as leader of the household, fathers must create an atmosphere that is conducive to the obedience of children. That will encourage children and lead them to seek and to desire to be obedient. And parents must learn to be consistent in the application of correction and discipline. Parents must bring their children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, but at the same time must not be overly severe. Because if we're overly severe, we exasperate our children. It's not an easy job. I know you all know that. But God's given you some instruction here. And He's given you some training. Being a parent certainly does not create an exception to the command to never speak in anger or with abusive speech to children. See, this isn't an exception here. We don't speak in anger. We don't speak abusively to children or anyone else. The reason Paul, I believe, outlined all of those qualities we're looking for in the first place early in chapter 3 is so that we would understand that those things are the givens. And those must be the foundation upon which all of the rest of our dealings are based. When fathers are unjust, or overly severe. A child can become sullen. He can become resigned. He can lose heart, as Paul writes here, thinking it doesn't matter what I do, it's always wrong. Now I know probably every kid has said that at one time or another, but it's the responsibility of the parent to raise the child in such a way that the child doesn't have any basis on which to say this. It's better to be positive And we don't always want to use don'ts, but the Ten Commandments, there are a lot of don'ts. Jesus' teaching had a lot of don'ts. Paul's epistles, this very passage has a don't in it. Don't exasperate your children. But it is best to emphasize the positive and to try to teach positively. Romans 12.21 says, overcome evil with good. So constant nagging. So when we talk about discipline and instruction, we're not talking about constant nagging. We're not talking about don't do this and don't do that. Because it can become counterproductive. And it can lead to what Paul's talking about here, an exasperated child. That's the result, it's the exact opposite of what we're seeking, isn't it? And when this occurs, if the child becomes exasperated, what's going to happen with that instruction you're giving him? He's going to become resistant to the godly instruction. So a good father spends time with the kids. He teaches them, maybe entertains them, encourages them. And by his example, he points them to Christ. It's not just in our words that we teach others about Christ. It's by showing them Christ's likeness in ourselves. People see what we do, especially kids. They are much more attuned to what they see us doing than what they hear us saying. Sometimes the rod of correction may be necessary. Proverbs 13, 24. Proverbs 23, 13, and 14. But it must be used with discretion. And it must be used consistently. Proverbs 17.10 says, a wise reproof is generally better than a hundred stripes. You hear that? Proverbs 17.10, I'm sorry. And you might want to just note that here in Colossians, in this passage. Paul's admonition to kindness, remember that? And gentleness and compassion. Those things all apply to parents and their children as well as to all others. We don't leave those behind. So this command, in effect, forbids unjust treatment of children, inconsiderate treatment of children, unkind treatment of children. And it forbids every action that will lead to the child becoming disheartened. We're trying to raise kids who have the joy of the Lord in them. Paul uses just a few words in these two verses we've looked at. But he's clearly demanding godliness both in our words and in our actions in the raising of children. Now he turns to the relationship of slaves and masters. Slaves, in all things, obey those who are your masters on the earth. not with external service as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord." Now here Paul is teaching slaves, people who were in bondage. in Colossae and Laodicea concerning the kind of service they, as Christian slaves, are to render to their masters. He says, obey those who are your masters on earth or masters according to the flesh. What he means is their bodily masters, those who are in authority over them. Now slavery is not a divine ordinance, as were marriage and family and the Sabbath. Nowhere does Scripture teach that it is pleasing to God that one man should own another man. Slavery is a human institution. But it existed at the time that God gave Moses the law. And God addressed slavery in His law. And at the time of Paul as well, there were numerous slaves all over the Roman world. By some estimates, the city of Rome itself was inhabited one-third by slaves. Now they'd become slaves not on the basis of race, but as prisoners of war, or as convicts, or through debt, or through kidnapping, or purchase. or birth from slave parents. This was a way of life both in ancient Rome at the time of Paul and at the time of Moses. So both Paul and the Lord, in giving the law to Moses, took the social structure as they found it and sought by godly teaching to affect it in a way that would be pleasing to God. And here, understand first of all that we see Paul addresses slaves and their masters as spiritual equals before God. Just as we understand husband and wife are equal in all things, the Godhead is equal all three persons, we have equality here. There's an earthly hierarchy, but that doesn't mean that there's a hierarchy before God. So the teaching here amounts to this. Let the slave wholeheartedly obey his master, and let the master be kind to his slave. And any ill will or dishonesty or laziness of the slave should be replaced by willing service, industry, and integrity. Why? Why do you suppose that is? Because that service is being rendered not to that earthly boss, but to God. This is why we owe it to the Lord to always, always, always be doing the best we can. Because He's given us talents and abilities to do things. That's why. It's because it isn't for somebody else. Ephesians 6, as Paul had when he was speaking of the relationships of husband and wife and of children and parents. Paul brings the conduct of slaves back to their relationship, not with the earthly masters, but with God. Look at Ephesians 6, 5. He says, slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh. as to Christ. Verse 6, as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Verse 7, with good will we render service as to the Lord and not to men. He says it three times there. We render our service, even as a slave, as to God. Why? Because these slaves have received the blessing of God. And now they will respond not in light of how they are treated by others, but in light of the blessing of God. This is what it is to be a child of God. To live in light of Him and what He has done. First Peter 2.18 addresses this as well. He says, servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle. but also to those who are unreasonable." Now why would we owe it to anybody on this earth who is unreasonable and unjust to us to be submissive? Well, the submission is to God. That's what he's talking about. He says, this finds favor if, for the sake of conscience toward God, a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. And he says, if you do, when you do what is right and suffer for it patiently and you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. Who else do we know who did that? Who suffered unjustly? That's right. That's what it is to be Christ-like. Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example to follow in His steps. It's too easy an answer, folks, to say, well look, I'm not Christ. I don't have to do that. That's not His way. If you do what is right and suffer for it, you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. You've been called for this purpose. You've been called for this purpose. It's so easy to find ourselves living in light of what's going on around us. Very natural to do that. That's why He gave us this Bible. That's why He gave us these letters and this instruction teaching us, no, that's not what God wants. He wants us to live in light of what He's done and what He's doing. And the fact that He's indwelling you even as we speak. Both Paul and Peter here teach us that our focus must at all times be on our Lord and on our willing service to Him. And certainly these teachings about slaves and masters extends to any employer-employee relationship. You do your work the best you can because you're doing it as to the Lord, as to Christ. We are to render service to men in authority over us. And even if you don't have an employer, even if you're just doing volunteer service, you do it the best you can as to Christ. When we render obedient service, even to unreasonable men, this finds favor with God, Peter said. And he says we've been called to follow our Lord's example, accepting even harsh treatment. Now why would anyone do this? Well 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 1 gives a reason. So that the name of God and His doctrine will be honored and magnified. 1 Timothy 6, 1 I'll read. All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor. Because they really are? Not necessarily. But so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against. That's why. Everybody knows you're Christians, folks. Everybody knows you proclaim Christ. Everybody knows that you stand for Christ. What they see is either going to be a reflection of Christ or a reflection of something else. God wants people to see in us a reflection of Christ. Titus 2, 9 and 10, urge bond slaves to be subject to their own masters and everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith. Why? so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect." There are some major, major truths about how we are to live here in this passage. So when Paul instructs the slaves to obey their masters in all things, he means not only things which are pleasant and agreeable, but also in matters which are unreasonable, disagreeable, and unpleasant. He can't have meant, as I said earlier, in things contrary to God's Word. Because the whole point, he says, is to adorn the doctrine of God in every respect. That's why. That's the motivation for everything we've talked about today. And he says, Whatever you do, do your work heartily. Now the actual literal translation here is ever be working through the soul. Put your soul into the work as for the Lord. This is whatever you do as for the Lord rather than for men. Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. You know, if the thought of what God has promised us and our trust in that is with us each moment of the workday. And we think in terms of we're doing this as to Him. It should affect us. Look what He says here. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. Literal translation, for the Lord Christ keeps slaving. He only uses that term Lord Christ twice in all the New Testament. This is one of those places. But it's the way of the world. And it's a mistake to measure all these things by whether obedience will be beneficial to us. Is obedience going to be helpful to me? Or whether disobedience will be harmful to us? We look at a choice and that is the way that the world assesses choices and makes choices. Am I better off if I do X? If your motivation to be obedient to your parents or to keep from exasperating your children, or to obey those in authority over you, or to treat those under your authority fairly and justly, is because that'll make your life better, and your motive is not the one that God has taught you. Our first and most important duty is to our Creator and our Redeemer. And that's what Peter tells us in 1st Peter 2.13. Submit yourselves to every human institution for the Lord's sake. We're doing it for Him. Look at verse 15. For such is the will of God. that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men." Is it important that we silence the ignorance of foolish men? It sure is when we are the people proclaiming the gospel of truth. So both Paul and Peter at least imply, if not flat out say, that a God-honoring approach to our work for others is part of the way we are to impact the world with the gospel. You see that? The way we approach our work in a God-honoring way is part of the way we impact the world with the gospel. By means of wholehearted service to the Master. Rendering obedience to our earthly Master. And doing so while that earthly Master knows what about us. That we say we're a Christian. That we say we're the people of Christ. The master knows and sees that the slave or employee or servant is promoting the cause and honor of Christ. People should see Christ in us. Richard Lenski sums this all up in one sentence. Throw your soul into the work as if your one employer were the Lord. And Paul reminds every slave who has believed in Christ and placed his trust in his atoning death that he's already received promise of the reward of His inheritance. That's something no one can take from you. And He's calling all believers, again, as He has been week after week, to live in light of that promise. And then He says, ...For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. Well this verse, it's caused no small amount of discussion among theologians and commentators. Is Paul speaking here of slaves or of masters or of both? Well there are excellent theologians who take each of these views. Some apply this verse to both slave and master. If either does wrong to the other, God will pay the guilty one without partiality. Others say He is comforting servants here, saying that if they are oppressed by the unjustness of their masters, God Himself will take vengeance. Others, and I would be in this latter camp, say that idea is perhaps unchristian, that no injured Christian is to harbor the thought, he who wrongs me is going to get it from God. The key to understanding this, I believe, and Paul's meaning is by looking at the text itself, both here and in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 9. The fact is, masters aren't even mentioned until the next verse. 4.1 in Colossians and verse 9 in Ephesians 6. Up until this point, Paul has been speaking of and to slaves, not masters. And so this instruction, this teaching applies to the slaves. In Ephesians 6, 8, Paul extends this instruction not only to slaves but to servants who are free men. And here's what he's saying. Paul is telling the slave that if he disobeys God in this and wrongs his master, the wrong that he has committed is chargeable to him. God is not kidding with these things. This is what he wants to see from his people. Well finally, in chapter 4, verse 1, and also in chapter 6 of Ephesians, verse 9, Paul then applies the same principle to the slaves' masters. Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a master in heaven. If you're an employer, this has application for you. In Ephesians, Paul puts it this way, "...masters do the same things to them and give up threatening, knowing that both their master and yours is in heaven." You've got a heavenly master of your own there, Master. And there's no partiality with Him. we see here that as repulsive as the idea of slavery is to us in our time, even owners of slaves could be recipients of God's grace. But let's also remember that any slave owner who treated his slaves harshly was not one who had demonstrated that he had been born again. Or was one who was living in a manner that showed him to be a true believer. All of those truths don't go away when we come to these specific relationships. And Paul's point here is that masters must realize that just as their slaves are accountable on earth to them, they are going to have to answer to the true master in heaven, as we all are. And if they believe and understand this, they won't treat their slaves harshly. They'll treat them justly without threatening them. And will show the same consideration to their servants as they expect to receive from the true master. Well, the whole admonition here is an application of something we see in the Gospels, isn't it? The golden rule. By the way, notice in Colossians 3.25, Paul tells slaves there's no partiality with God. In Ephesians 6.9, he says the very same thing only to masters. He wants them both to know. In both passages, Paul teaches what it is to walk in the light of Christ for both slaves and masters. All of these admonitions, folks, to wives, to husbands, children, parents, slaves, and masters are founded in and traced to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. For it's He who has equipped every believer, regardless of his station on earth, to live to the glory of God. That's what He's teaching us about, living to the glory of God. See, it's so easy to just say it, sing it, whatever. He's teaching us what it is to do it. And our station on earth doesn't matter. Everybody fits into one category or another here. Everybody's certainly been a child. And no matter what it is, we live in a way that should honor Him. He's been teaching us, Paul has these past weeks, about the things above where Christ is. That's what he's doing. And having learned the truth concerning the things above, what should we do? What do we do with that? We must put it into practice. This isn't just for our heads. This is for our lives. Not to the honor of those we serve on earth, but so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against. And so that by doing right we may silence the ignorance of foolish men. And so that we will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in everything we do. This is a weighty task. This is what Paul and Peter both have taught us. So I say to you, let's go forward in all things, bearing with one another, forgiving each other, just as the Lord has forgiven us. Putting on love, compassion, kindness, humility. Especially love, the perfect bond of unity. And may the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, the assurance that His promises are certain to be kept. And let us be always thankful. Paul has been teaching us all these things in this letter. And let us seek Him in His Word daily, so that it's His Word that will dwell within each and every one of us richly. And whatever we do, in word or deed, let us do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God our Father. Father, we thank you for this instruction. We thank you for the servants you sent into the world 2,000 years ago for Paul and Peter and the others who testified to the risen Christ, who received the outpouring of your Spirit on Pentecost, who received these glorious words from you. wrote them down for us to teach us, to edify us, to help us raise our children, do our jobs, all with an eye toward adorning the doctrine of the gospel. I thank You for each one who's gathered here, Lord, and pray that each one has received this Word joyously. And I pray, Lord, especially this morning for the children, that You'd raise each one of them up to be Your people, people who seek and desire to serve You all their days. For Your kingdom and for Your glory, in Christ's name,