COLOSSIANS LESSON 5


     We will begin this lesson in Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace
of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one
body; and be ye thankful."

     Jesus is the King of Peace. When we make Him the Lord of our
life, the peace of God does rule in our heart. He brings the kind of
peace that goes beyond explanation. In the midst of trouble, His peace
causes us to be calm. It is called the Peace beyond understanding.
This is the peace that Job had when he was under such great attack.

     Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in
all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

     Jesus Christ our Lord is the Word of God. The Bible is the Word
of God. If you hide this Word of God in your heart, no one can take it
away from you. They may take the written Word from you, but they
cannot take what you have hidden in your heart. Wisdom is a gift from
God. The two great powers in the world are the spoken and the written
Word. Build each other up in the most holy faith. When friends get
together and study the Word of God, it builds them up, and brings
perfect peace to them. The Psalms are like warm oil pouring over you.
They bring such a peace to all who hear them. Have you ever sat down
and just read the words in the beautiful hymns? The people who wrote
them were under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. They have such Truth
of the Word in them. They are comforting, because they tell truth in a
melodious way. Singing this type of spiritual music makes a sweet,
sweet sound in God's ear. Singing builds up the spirit of man. The
grace, spoken of here, is a thanksgiving for the free gift of grace
that God has given us. Notice, this singing is not for performing,
this is sung reverently to the Lord.

     Colossians 3:17 "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all
in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by
him."

     When I see this Scripture, I think of the blood that was applied
to the thumb of the right hand of the priests and the high priest. To
me, this meant that everything we put our hand to do must be dedicated
to God. Whatever our task is in life, we must do our work as unto the
Lord. We must not only hear and speak the Word, but we must do it as
well. We should apply the teachings of the Word of God to our everyday
tasks. The best sermon that everyone can preach is the way they
conduct their daily lives. Every task should be done with thanksgiving
in our heart. We thank the Father for sending His Son to Save us. We
thank the Son {Jesus} for actually saving us.

     Colossians 3:18 "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands,
as it is fit in the Lord."

     The church is the bride of Christ. The entire church must be
submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ. Husbands and wives on the earth
are a shadow of the heavenly scene. We see, in this, that the wife and
husband are one flesh, as the church and the Lord Jesus Christ are one
Spirit. The wife is not to work against her husband, especially seeing
they are one flesh. The wife is the helpmeet of her husband. His
welfare should be of utmost importance. In the flesh, the wife should
submit to her husband. The only time that this is not so, is if it
causes her to fall away from God.

     Colossians 3:19 "Husbands, love [your] wives, and be not bitter
against them."

     The love spoken of here, is a love like Jesus had for the church.
This love is a protection for the lesser vessel.

     Colossians 3:20 "Children, obey [your] parents in all things: for
this is well pleasing unto the Lord."

     Again, we see that this obedience of the child for their parents
shadows the obedience of God's children for Him. I Samuel 15:22 "And
Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is]
better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams."
Obedience to an earthly parent is a type of respect, or honor. Honor
thy Father and Mother is one of the Ten Commandments. Obedience, has a
side benefit. All of the regulations that God put on mankind were for
mankind's benefit. The regulations that parents put on their children
are for the child's benefit, as well. We may not see the benefit when
it is happening, but it is beneficial. Do yourself a favor. Obey your
parents.

     Colossians 3:21 "Fathers, provoke not your children [to anger],
lest they be discouraged."

     All correction should be in a loving and kind way. Constant
screaming at a youngster sends him, or her, the message that you do
not love them. It, also, has a way of downing their self-esteem. If my
dad does not believe in me, who will?

     Colossians 3:22 "Servants, obey in all things [your] masters
according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in
singleness of heart, fearing God:"

     Jesus is Lord of all. We are His servants. The verse above is a
shadow of the fact that Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord in the spirit,
and this verse is speaking of the master who is lord over your flesh.
This was written when there were slaves, but it still applies today
toward the people you are working for. Employees, give the man who
hired you your loyalty. He deserves a full day of work for the pay he
has given you. When you are on his payroll, you must do as he asks
you. The only time it is not alright to do what he asks you, is if you
resign from the job. Loyalty is very important, when you are working
for someone. You must do the work the way they want it done. Once you
have made an agreement for the wages you will work for, fill the
contract. You must keep your word. The boss must keep his word, too.
He has a boss, also. Jesus is looking at the way we conduct our lives.
We must deal fairly with each other.

     Colossians 3:23 "And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to
the Lord, and not unto men;"

     It really does not matter what our work is in this world. This is
the task that God has chosen for us to do. Do it as unto the Lord. It
is the Lord who makes one man a doctor, and another man a porter. Do
your job well, whatever it is. You will not be judged by the other
man's job. You will be judged by what you did with the talents God
gave you.

     Colossians 3:24 "Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the
reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ."

     Our inheritance in heaven is not determined by the wealth we had
on this earth. We should be laying up treasures in heaven. We are all
in the service of the Lord. He has placed us in the body where we can
be the most useful. If everyone was a scientist, there would be no one
to cook our food. You can easily see that each of us has a job to do
for the Lord, and that is the job we need to be doing. I Peter 1:3
"Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively
hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,"  I Peter 1:4
"To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not
away, reserved in heaven for you,"  Seeing He has prepared all of
this, it is a little thing to serve Him here.

     Colossians 3:25 "But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the
wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons."

     Jesus is the judge of all the earth. He judges us not as groups,
but one at a time. What you do with your life, is up to you. God will
not force himself upon you. You have a free will. You can choose to do
wrong, and reject Jesus and His plan for your life. If you do, there
is payment for the decision to do wrong, just as there was an
inheritance for those who followed Jesus. The difference is, the
reward for a disobedient life is an eternity in hell. Jesus is a just
God. He gives us the reward we chose. It does not matter whether you
were the boss, or the worker, judgement is just. Treat other people as
if Jesus was watching everything you do, because He is.











                        Colossians 5 Questions


1.  Let the _________ of God rule in your hearts.
2.  What kind of peace did Job have in his troubles?
3.  Let the _____ of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.
4.  Teaching and admonishing one another in _________ and _______ and
    __________ _______, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
5.  Who is the Word of God?
6.  What are the two great powers in the world?
7.  What makes a sweet sound in the ear of God?
8.  We must do all in word and deed unto the ________.
9.  What was applied to the thumb of the right hand of the priest to
    show the work he did was dedicated to God?
10. We must not only hear and speak the Word, but we must __ __, as
    well.
11. Wives, __________ yourselves unto your own husbands.
12. Who is the bride of Christ?
13. Husbands and wives on the earth are one _______.
14. Jesus and His church are one _________.
15. Quote Colossians chapter 3 verse 19.
16. What kind of love is spoken of in verse 19?
17. Quote 1 Samuel chapter 15 verse 22.
18. What is a side benefit of obeying parents?
19. What can we apply verse 22 to today?
20. Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the ________.
21. Who have an inheritance with the Lord waiting for them?
22. Quote 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 and 4.
23. Who is Judge of all the earth?
24. If you choose to do wrong and reject Jesus, what is your reward?