And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.
Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 3:17-4:6 NIV)
“Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Isn’t that a great verse? Last week we talked about how the apostle Paul knows just how to motivate us. He motivates us with the grace of God. Jesus loved you to death. He nailed every one of your sins to his cross. That love of Jesus gets us fired up. It gets us eager to serve. It gets us ready to do big things. Like we’re a football team charging out of the tunnel. “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” We’re going to do great things! Ready?
Here’s the first huge thing God has planned for you: “Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” Did we read that right? That sounds completely out of place, doesn’t it? You’d expect Paul to say, “God loves you so much, so go on a mission trip to the other side of the world. Do great things!” And God says, “You’re absolutely right. Christians are to do great things.” Like this: “Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” If you’re a Christian wife, start at home. Respect your husband as is fitting in the Lord.
We’re going to notice something today: God values different things than we do. If you’re a woman, I bet you feel pressure today to do something great. Our society puts more pressure on women than ever before. “Start your own business. Prove you can make money. Show how strong and independent you are!” God doesn’t put that pressure on you. That’s not what God values. God values humility. And sacrifice. And trusting him enough to follow his plan for relationships. Want to do something big? Something that glorifies God? “Submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” What God values is so different than what we value.
Of course, God also has something to say to husbands. How can a husband live a Christian life in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ? We’d expect something like, “Be the CEO of your company. Bench press 300 pounds. Win the youth sports coach of the year.” No. Try this: “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.” See a pattern? God values simple actions done in the name of Jesus. Husbands, do you want to do something great to God’s glory? “Love your wives.” Love your wife like Christ loves you. That’s the first and best thing God’s called you to do.
Paul goes down the list. Next: Children. What great things can children do to please God? “Get the highest ACT score in your class. Win first place in the tournament. Be the coolest kid at school.” Do you know what’s way bigger than all of those things in God’s eyes? “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” For children of any age, the most pleasing thing to God is to obey your parents. Sound surprising? Every little thing done in the name of Jesus is pleasing in God’s eyes. Serve and love the people God’s called you to serve and love.
Want a great example? Before he died, our friend Ron Brunkalla was growing a mustache. Do you know why Ron was growing a mustache? When Ron was a boy, his mother told him that he wasn’t allowed to have a mustache. Actually, she was very specific. She told Ron that he wasn’t allowed to grow a mustache until he was 85 years old. Do you know when Ron turned 85? This past January. On his birthday, Ron told his kids that he was going to grow a mustache, because he was finally able to. Isn’t that awesome? You talk about obeying your parents in everything! Even when they’re dead. That’s how you glorify God. It’s whatever you do in the name of Jesus.
The next section spells that out. It talks to slaves. There were lots of slaves in the ancient world. Thankfully, there aren’t slaves today. Instead, think of employees. Workers. God says: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Aren’t these powerful words? This is what it means to live for Jesus. It’s to do everything in the name of Jesus Christ. Not just when people are watching. Not so that other people praise you. “But with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.” Because God’s always watching. Isn’t that enough? God always sees. Isn’t he the One we want to please? Every diaper you change. Every dish you wash. Every car you fix. God values those things just as much as preaching a sermon or going on a mission trip. It all matters. Isn’t that great to know? Everything you do matters. God sees it. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”
Even if you’re the boss. God talks to owners too. Masters. Does he say, “Keep on moving up the ladder. See how big a salary you can get.” No! “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.” If God has put people under you, treat them with respect and fairness. Treat them as you would want to be treated. Because you have a Master too! God himself. No matter what your position is in life, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Faith in Jesus is meant to impact every little thing we do or think or say.
There’s so much more. “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Want to do big things for God’s kingdom? Pray. Pray for your pastor. Pray for the spread of God’s Word. Fill every conversation with grace. Every little interaction you have with other people, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. It all matters. Your whole life matters. Do it all to the glory of God!
Do you do that? I don’t. Remember how a couple weeks ago we said that we create our own rules, because our rules are easier to follow than God’s commands? How often don’t we dream of our ideas of greatness, and leave God’s commands undone? It’s easier to make a lot of money than to fill your conversations with grace. Would you agree? It’s easier for me to preach a good sermon than to love my wife like God commands. It’s easier to win a baseball game than it is to obey your parents. Can you see that? When God keeps it simple, it actually shows our sins more. Wife, do you submit to your husband? Husband, do you love your wife? Child, do you obey your parents? Worker, do you work your hardest always? The answer? No. You’re a sinner. I am too.
In fact, I’m a really bad example. A couple years ago, I was going through a difficult time. I remember talking to a pastor friend about it. I said something like, “When I am going to have a chance to do something big? When I am going to use my gifts? When am I going to accomplish something worthwhile?” And he said, “Nathan, you’re an idiot.” He’s great friend! He said, “That’s so wrong. You’re not here on earth to do some big thing someday. You’re here to do what God’s given you to do today. Love the people God’s put in your life. Do the things God’s called you to do. Stop focusing on some big thing. Love and serve and work to God’s glory.”
It makes sense. This past week, three different people at three different times all said to me, “Pastor, the reason my unbelieving friends don’t go to church is because Christians don’t act like Christians.” As we dream of great things, the world pays attention to all those little things. I could be a great preacher, but if I don’t have love? You could be wealthy and successful, but if you’re an arrogant boss? If you’re a careless friend? If you’re a thoughtless neighbor? All the “great things” don’t matter. They’re not what God values. They’re not what people need. How awful is it that our failure to follow God’s simple commands is pushing people away from God?
This is why what we heard about Jesus today is so important. Jesus did some really big things for us. He died on the cross for our sins. He rose from the dead. Don’t get me wrong. Those are big things! But Jesus didn’t just do big things for you. Jesus didn’t just serve as our Savior for Holy Week. He served as our Savior for all of his 33 years. Do you know what he did for you? Everything. Every single moment of every single day, Jesus lived for you and me. He did everything we don’t do. In the desert, the devil tempted him over and over again to stop trusting. To stop loving. To put himself first for a change. But he didn’t. Ever. He didn’t sin a single time.
For every time you haven’t loved, Jesus loved perfectly for you. For every time you haven’t submitted, Jesus submitted perfectly for you. For every time you’ve sought glory for yourself, Jesus sought glory for God. And then, even though he was perfect in every way, he died the death we deserve on the cross. In theology, we talk about Jesus’ active obedience. He actively kept every command in our place. And we talk about Jesus’ passive obedience. He died the death we deserve in our place. He did both. He lived to make you perfect. He died to forgive your sins.
It’s Jesus who motivates everything we do. Listen for a phrase that keeps popping up in our lesson. “Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” Slaves, work “with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.” “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Sense a theme? “In the Lord.” “For the Lord.” It’s Jesus and his grace that impact every relationship, every conversation, every work, every day.
Because it all matters. Head out there this week, knowing it all matters. Everything you do is a way to give thanks to God for Jesus. If you care for children, care for them in the name of the Lord Jesus. If you play soccer, play soccer in the name of the Lord Jesus. If you cook dinner, cook dinner in the name of the Lord Jesus. If you fix stuff, fix stuff in the name of the Lord Jesus. Go out there and do something really big, like obey your parents or love your wife. All in the name of Jesus. Whatever God has called you to do is important, because God is important, and everything we do we do for him. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
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