Introduction: The Imperative 'Let'

Weaver explains that 'let' can be a command, not just permission, as seen in creation and God's command to Pharaoh. In Colossians 3:15-16, 'let' is an imperative.

All right, well, we're glad that everybody is here that's here, and I'm going to ask you to open your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3, and I want us to read verses 15 through 25. Colossians 3, verses 15 through 25. The title of the message today is just simply "Let"—three little letters, L-E-T, let. I think you shall see the importance of that just shortly. So Colossians chapter 3, beginning there with verse 15, he says,

"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. 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 unto 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 respecter of persons."

Let me begin by asking a few questions just to set you up. Have you ever let something happen? And have you ever let your children play outside? And have you ever let your hair down? And that is a phrase which means that you just simply relaxed and was actually yourself. We use this word "let" all the time. Usually it refers to permission or an allowance. "I will let you play my piano."

"I will let you drive my car. I will let you shoot my Glock." In other words, it's just simply used as basically a term of permission. However, what we fail to note is the word "let" can also be an imperative. That is, it is a command. I could shout, "Let that dog alone." That's not asking permission. That's not giving allowance. That's giving a command. I could say, "Let me alone" or "Let us alone"—once again, that's a command. So many times we do not distinguish between how this little word is used. Let me just mention this to you. When you go back and read in the book of Genesis, especially Genesis chapter 1 when God created the world, let me give you some verses. Listen carefully. In Genesis 1:3, "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." Now the word "let" in each of these verses I'm going to quote happens to be a command. I'm going to show it to you. But then he also said in Genesis 1 and verse 6, "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the water from the water."

"Let there be a firmament." And then Genesis 1 and verse 9,

And then in Genesis 1 and verse 11 he said,

Now I want you to look in your Bibles—hold in Colossians chapter 3—but look in your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 33, because here is a very clear statement regarding the creation, and notice what he says in Psalm 33. And let's begin reading there with verse 8. Psalm 33 and verse 8: "Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him."

So you need to ask yourself this question: Why? "Let"—I'm sure that would be a command there—"Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him." Why should all the earth fear the Lord? And why should all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him? And here's why, in verse 9: "For He spake, and it was done." "He commanded, and it stood fast." So when God said, "Let there be light," "Let there be water," "Let there be dry land," it was in essence a command. And it was done as God obeyed—now, that's the waters and everything obeyed God.

Now, look in your Bibles, if you would, back to the book of Colossians chapter 3, because I'm going to show you how the word "let" is used. You remember how God sent Moses to Pharaoh? And what did God say through Moses to Pharaoh? He said, "Let my people go." That was not a suggestion. That was not good advice. That was a command. And Pharaoh, of course, paid the price for rejecting the sovereign authority and power of God. So here's the reason I'm making this distinction. Because when you look in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 15, when he said, "And let," it is an imperative in the Greek, which means it is a command. And once again, in verse 16, "Let the word of Christ"—that is indeed a command as well. So these two truths, actually three truths I'm fixing together for you, are not mere suggestions. They are not good advice. Once again, they are straight commands from God. Now, I want you to note where Paul began making commands. So if you look back in verse 8, he said, "But now you also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth."

Put Off and Put On (Colossians 3:8-14)

Paul commands believers to put off old sinful habits and put on the new man, which is like slipping into comfortable clothing. Specific vices and virtues are listed.

Now, look in your Bibles, if you would, back to the book of Colossians chapter 3, because I'm going to show you how the word "let" is used. You remember how God sent Moses to Pharaoh? And what did God say through Moses to Pharaoh? He said, "Let my people go." That was not a suggestion. That was not good advice. That was a command. And Pharaoh, of course, paid the price for rejecting the sovereign authority and power of God. So here's the reason I'm making this distinction. Because when you look in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 15, when he said, "And let," it is an imperative in the Greek, which means it is a command. And once again, in verse 16, "Let the word of Christ"—that is indeed a command as well. So these two truths, actually three truths I'm fixing together for you, are not mere suggestions. They are not good advice. Once again, they are straight commands from God. Now, I want you to note where Paul began making commands. So if you look back in verse 8, he said, "But now you also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth."

The two words "put off" happens to be an imperative. It's a command. God is commanding us to put these things out of our lives. Look in verse 10: "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." Now the words "put on" is indeed an imperative as well. So "put off," "put on" are commands from God. So we're commanded then to put certain things away from our lives. In other words, all of our old habits, all of our old ways of doing things that are carnal and fleshly and worldly and wicked, God says that is to be put off. And then He tells us that we're to put on the new man, which is created in righteousness and true holiness. Now, interestingly, when you look back at verse 8, he says, "But now you also put off." The Greek word for "put off" is the word *apotithēmi*.

Now, *tithēmi* is usually a word that means to cause to stand. Often times it means to cause a stand in the mind. But when you put the preposition *apo* in front, that means away. In other words, it literally means put it away. Don't think about this. Put this thing off. Do not allow it to be in you. In other words, it is to be put off, it's to be taken away, or we would say it is to slide away. Now when you look at verse 10, and he said, "And have put on the new man," the word "put on" is the word *enduo* and it literally means to sink into clothing. It means to put clothes on oneself. So we've all used this phrase at one time or the other.

"Let me slip into something more comfortable." If I've got boots on, I'd like to slip into some bedroom shoes. If I've got a heavy coat on, I'd like to get it off and slip into something far more comfortable. Now, this is exactly what this word "put on" means. It means basically that once we put off all of these old habits and old ways and old thoughts and all thought patterns, we're to put on something that is far more comfortable. Now, so if you look in verse 8 again, he says "put off." Then in verse 10, he says, "put on." So I want you to note, if you would please, what he's telling us. Let's begin reading there with verse 8. He said, "But now you also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, that is put away lying, seeing that you've put off the old man"—there's another command—"with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond or free, but Christ is all in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God"—that's a command—"holy and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."

"Above all these things put on charity" or love, "which is the bond of perfectness." So he tells us then what things are to be put off specifically and what things are to be put on specifically. I hope you remember what our Lord said in Matthew chapter 11, verses 29 and 30. He said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart." And then he says this, listen, "And you shall find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." So I think it's absolutely amazing. He is telling us to slip out of the old way of doing things and to slip into something that's far more comfortable. In other words, he's telling us that living wholly, obedient, godly lives is far more comfortable than living a disobedient, ungodly life and suffering the judgment of God. So literally "put off" and "put on" is what he's saying. Now you're going to say, "Well, there are oftentimes afflictions and sufferings in the Christian life,"

and that's true. However, we ought to remember this: any affliction that we have and any suffering that we have is for our good and for God's glory. Romans 8:28 is still true: "For we know that all things work together for good to them that are called according to His purpose." What? We know that all things work together for good to them who are called according to His purpose. So God works everything out for our good and for His glory.

So here's what He's saying: it is better and it is easier to suffer afflictions in righteousness than it is to suffer for our sins and wickedness and disobedience, if suffering is going to be a part in our lives. Now, before I begin with the message today—you say, "You've already started." No, not just yet. I want you to see the connection. I want you to see the connection from verse 8 right on down. So look, if you would, in verse 8 again. Watch this. He says, "But now you also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that you put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond or free, but Christ is all in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do you. And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness." Now look in verse 15. The very first word is the word "and." Verse 14, the very first word is the word "and." Now the word "and" happens to be a conjunction. It is binding thoughts together. It also implies that

The Conjunction 'And' Connects the Commands

The word 'and' in verses 14-15 shows Paul is not finished; he ties 'put off/put on' to the following commands about peace, the Word, and doing all to God's glory.

Now, before I begin with the message today—you say, "You've already started." No, not just yet. I want you to see the connection. I want you to see the connection from verse 8 right on down. So look, if you would, in verse 8 again. Watch this. He says, "But now you also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that you put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond or free, but Christ is all in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do you. And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness." Now look in verse 15. The very first word is the word "and." Verse 14, the very first word is the word "and." Now the word "and" happens to be a conjunction. It is binding thoughts together. It also implies that

Paul was not finished in verse 13. So in verse 14 and verse 15, he uses the word "and" again. So this little word "and" is very important. So let me show you what I'm talking about. Suppose I'm uptown and I'm in a hurry. I'm trying to get things done specifically. And Alice calls me on the phone. She says, "While you're uptown, will you bring me a gallon of milk?" And I said, "Yes. Okay. Okay. Okay." I'm in a hurry, and then she says, "And..." Well, what does that tell me? Number one, it tells me something else is coming. And number two, she was not finished with a gallon of milk. So she says, "Will you bring me a gallon of milk and a bag of potatoes?" So this is exactly what is happening here. Because the apostle is saying, "put off" and "put on," and then you get down to verse 14, he uses the conjunction "and," and then you get to verse 15, he uses the conjunction "and" again. So he's trying to tie all of these thoughts together for us.

So here are three truths that should go along with verses 8 through 14 particularly. Now watch, if you would, verse 15. Here's the first one: "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts." He said in verse 15, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also you're called in one body, and be ye thankful." Now you have to remember what I told you earlier: the word "let" is a command. It is an imperative. Before I have distinguished for you the difference between peace with God and the peace of God. So let me just make this clear again. It's impossible for anyone to have the peace of God unless he's already made peace with God. So Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God."

First Command: Let the Peace of God Rule (v.15)

The peace of God is a settled assurance based on God's Word. It is to act as an umpire in the heart, deciding what is right and wrong, and is only possible after peace with God through justification.

So here are three truths that should go along with verses 8 through 14 particularly. Now watch, if you would, verse 15. Here's the first one: "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts." He said in verse 15, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also you're called in one body, and be ye thankful." Now you have to remember what I told you earlier: the word "let" is a command. It is an imperative. Before I have distinguished for you the difference between peace with God and the peace of God. So let me just make this clear again. It's impossible for anyone to have the peace of God unless he's already made peace with God. So Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God."

Peace with God means that you've thrown down your weapons of warfare, you've ceased your rebellion, you've ceased your fighting against Him, you've surrendered to Him, you've submitted to Him, and you have come to Him on His terms. So you may have peace with God. Once you have peace with God, now you may have the peace of God. So he says, "Let the peace of God rule in your heart."

Now, the word for peace is the Greek word *eirēnē*, and it literally refers not just to a state of tranquility. It does not just simply refer to a cessation of warfare, but it also refers to what you and I would call concord. That is, we are now in agreement, we're getting along. It refers to quietness, it refers to composure, and I will show you a little bit later, it also refers to submission. Now let me tell you what the peace of God is. The peace of God is a settled assurance in your mind based upon the Word of God, and nothing else is going to shake that. It's a settled assurance. This settled assurance in your mind based upon the Word of God does not necessarily cancel out what you and I would call sometimes natural concern, natural anxiety, or natural fear. However, the peace of God is indeed a settled assurance.

So let me give you a good illustration. Years ago, I had my first surgery as an adult. Okay? I had surgery when I was two, but I knew nothing of it. I have no idea. Don't remember one thing. But as an adult, I'd never been through surgery. I'd never been put to sleep. So while I was there waiting, the anesthesiologist came in and he explained to me what he was going to do and how he was going to put me to sleep.

And as he was saying that, I was smiling. When he finished telling me, I was still smiling. And he looked at me and said, "What? You don't think I can put you to sleep?" I looked at him and said, "Sir, I have no doubt in my mind that you can put me to sleep. That is not my concern. My concern is, can you wake me up?" Well, just stop and think about this.

Now, I knew—I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt—I knew that God was going to bring me through that surgery. I knew that. But I hadn't been put to sleep before. I'd never experienced that. And there's always a little bit of natural anxiety. But the peace of God is not necessarily going to cancel out all natural concern and natural anxiety. But it will assure you, yes, you are coming through this. You may not have experienced this before. It may not have happened to you before. But yes, you are going to come through it. So anything new, anything that is unexperienced may cause concern, but it cannot and will not destroy the peace of God.

Now, I want you to look back, if you would please, in verse 15. I want to show you something that I hope will really, really excite you. He said, "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts." Now, the command is to let the peace of God rule. Now, this little word "rule" is very important. It is a Greek word, *brabeuō*. And it literally means this: let the peace of God be an umpire. Let it determine. Let it decide. Let it direct. Let it control. Let it rule. Literally let the peace of God be an umpire. Now, I want you to stop and think with me about an umpire. Why in the world do you need an umpire in a ball game? What is his role? Well, first of all, let me just tell you very clearly, he calls the shots. It's the umpire that determines whether a ball is fair or foul. It is the umpire that declares what is correct and incorrect. It is the umpire that declares a pitch is either a strike or not. He determines whether or not a runner is either safe or out. And here's another question: does it do you any good to argue with the umpire? And the answer is no. Because he has the power to put you out of the game. In other words, it's the umpire that basically calls the shots in every situation. I hope you're seeing the point.

He said, "And let the peace of God rule in your heart." Let the peace of God be an umpire. And when he talks about the peace of God ruling in our heart, he's not referring to the physical organ. It is true the Greek word is *kardia*, and we get many of our English words straight from the Greek—cardiac. That cardiac comes straight from *kardia*. It refers to the heart. So the heart then basically is the mind. The heart is the soul, the fountain of life, the seat of all thoughts and passions, desires, affections, emotions, purposes, endeavors, understanding. It's the faculty and seat of intelligence. So he says, "Let the peace of God rule in your heart" or in your mind.

Now the interesting thing is this: the word "rule" happens to be a present active imperative. Now, imperative is a command. A present means something that's being done continually, constantly, consistently, and it's active. You're active. "Let the peace of God rule in your heart." And in other words, the Holy Spirit is the one who brings peace. However, the peace of God is to rule in our mind. In other words, it's the peace of God that tells us, "Look, that thought is fleshly. That thought is wicked. That thought is ungodly. Put that out. You're not going to have peace as long as you're thinking on these things." It's going to be the peace of God that's going to tell us this is right.

Whatever you think about, think about what is virtuous, praiseworthy, honest, of good report. He says in the book of Philippians,

So it's the peace of God who's calling the shots in our mind. So look at it in verse 15 again. Look what he says: "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which you are also called in one body, and be thankful." Now when he says you've been called in one body, it's not just the body of believers, but it's also the body of Christ. And he says that we're also to be thankful, and not just temporarily thankful, but we're to be eternally grateful and thankful. So the phrase indicates then that we should all in one body have what we know as the peace of God ruling in our hearts and minds. So let me just show you.

Let's suppose that Steve and I had a falling out. Let's suppose we disagreed on something, and I mean, we really had a good disagreement. Now, if the peace of God is ruling in our hearts, I'm not going to be sitting here saying, "Wow, that old wicked Steve, he should repent." No, it's not wicked Steve that should repent, it's wicked John that should repent. He should be thinking, "I should repent, I should." In other words, it's the peace of God that is ruling and saying, "This is not right. You need to make things right. You need to repent. You need to forgive. You need to reconcile."

So this is what he's talking about. Let it rule in your hearts and mind. You've been called unto one body. I want to give you a quote from Albert Barnes. Listen to what he said: "The peace of God will thus calm down every agitated element of the soul, subdue the tumult of passion, and preserve the mind in healthful action and order, as a ruler sways and controls the passions of assembled multitudes of men." So we are not only to control our minds individually by the peace of God, but also collectively as well. Now look back at verse 15. He said, "And let"—"let" as a command—"and let the peace of God rule"—"rule" as a command—"let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which you're also called in one body, and be you thankful." Hang on. Look at the next verse, verse 16. Here's the second thing.

Second Command: Let the Word of Christ Dwell Richly (v.16)

The Word must dwell in us abundantly, like a house. This dwelling enables teaching and admonishing through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and is the source of wisdom.

"Let the Word of God dwell in you richly"—and "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." Now again, this is an imperative. It is a command. And you've got to see the connection now between verses 15 and 16, because he said in verse 15, "And"—I wasn't through—he says with verses 8 through 14, here's something else, "and let the peace of God rule in your hearts." Now he says in verse 16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." So let me put it to you very plainly: it is impossible for the peace of God to rule in your hearts unless the word of Christ dwells in you richly. It's the Word of Christ dwelling in us that's going to give us peace in our minds and peace in our hearts. Now, the word "dwell" is the word *enoikeō*. *Oikeō* is the verb. *En* is the preposition. So let me not give you the verb, but let me give you the noun. The noun is *oikos*. So we could say *en oikos* we would understand that, but *enoikeō* would be the verb. So *en* is the preposition, which just simply means "in." *Oikos* is the Greek word for "house." *Oikeō* literally means to dwell in the house. So he says in verse 15, "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts." Then verse 16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom." So actually, then, when he says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you," here's what he's saying: let the word of Christ be in your house.

What is your house? It's your body. Your body houses your mind, your spirit, your soul, your heart. Your body houses everything that you are. So I can look at Grace, I see her body, but Grace is actually residing in that body. Okay, I want you to hold Colossians 3, turn in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 5. I want you to see how the Apostle Paul uses the word "house" to refer to our bodies—not only our physical bodies, but also our spiritual bodies. So he says in verse 1 of 2 Corinthians chapter 5: "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle"—that's our body—

Then he says in verse 2:

—that is our body, our heavenly body, our eternal body—

So your body is your house. By the way, everyone now and then speaks about the economy. May I tell you what the word "economy" is? Our English word "economy" is made up of two Greek words: *oikos nomos*. *Oikos* is house, *nomos* is law. Our word "economy" means the law of the house. Everybody has a law of the house—of words, you have what you can spend money on, what you can spend money on. You know where you put your money and you know where you shouldn't put your money. And so just like every house is to have an economy, so is every state, so is every nation. But that economy is just simply the law of the house. Now, here's the interesting thing: the Word of God is to dwell in us richly. *Plousiōs* is the Greek word. It means it is to dwell in us abundantly.

It dwells in us richly, and it is this wealth that is in our bodies, in our minds, in our hearts, that is exceedingly beneficial. Let me show you what God says about His word. I want you to hold Colossians 3, but I want you to turn back in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 4. Deuteronomy chapter 4, and let's begin reading there with verse 5. Look what he says. Then we're going to go back to Colossians 3. Deuteronomy chapter 4 and verse 5. Moses says, "Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it." So he said, "I've taught you what God commanded me to teach you." Now look what he says about those commandments, about that law.

"Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?" Now, I want you to look back at verse 6. He says, "Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom, this is your understanding." And then in verse 7, "What nation is there so great, that hath God so nigh unto them?" How is God brought nigh unto us? Through His word, through His law. And then he says, "What nation is so great that hath statutes and judgments so righteous?" In other words, this is what it means when he says back in Colossians chapter 3, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly."

You have to understand that the word of Christ is our wisdom. It is our understanding. Now go back to Colossians chapter 3 and look at verse 16. Let me point this out. He says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Now let me tell you something that you may not know, and I would challenge you to do this the next time you read through the book of Psalms. Look at the heading. It will say something like "A Psalm of David." It will say "A hymn of Asaph" or "A song of Asaph." David didn't write all the Psalms. Asaph wrote Psalms. Moses wrote Psalm 90. But the book of Psalms is divided into psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. So when he says in verse 16, notice there, "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." What he's saying is teaching each other and singing the Word of God.

By the way, you can teach doctrine with music. Recording in progress. Well, thank you. You can teach doctrine with music. You can teach false doctrine with music. You can teach biblical doctrine with music. But I want you to notice sometimes, if there is ever a catchy tune, how children pick up on that tune. Years ago, Alice and I were at, believe it or not, it was called Mule Days Festival.

where they did everything with mules. They ground—they would grind cane, they would do everything with mules. We were out there, and we were walking and looking at some of the exhibits, and here came a couple, they were pushing this little buggy with this little boy in it, and he was singing, "Outback Steakhouse." He couldn't pronounce it, but the tune was catchy. When Alice's baby sister was young, she caught her out on the street singing, "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer." And Alice had to run in tell her mama that Peggy's out there singing about beer. Now, I mean, Peggy was only four or five years. She didn't want—she was singing, but all I'm saying is it's catchy tunes. And when we're singing psalms—and there are some beautiful, in fact, we use a psalter—but when you sing the psalms, you're singing scripture. And we have a book called *Psalms for Singing*, which is a psalm set to the hymns that we already know. Now, I could never use a Scottish psalter because I can't do that, but when you can sing a psalm to "Amazing Grace" or "How Great Thou Art" or something

we already know, you can do that. But he said, if the Word of God is dwelling in you richly, you're not only going to be singing to yourself, you're going to be teaching others in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. So when the Word of God dwells in us richly, it's easy for the peace of God to rule our hearts. And the Bible says in Psalm 119, verse 165, "Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them." Nothing's going to upset us. Nothing's going to cause us to stumble. Great peace have they which love thy law. When the word of Christ dwells in us richly, it is very easy for the peace of God to rule our hearts and minds. Now, there's another one.

Third Command: Do All to the Glory of God (v.17)

Every word and deed should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, with thanksgiving. This becomes the controlling aim when the peace of God rules and the Word dwells richly.

I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 3 and verse 17. Look carefully. "And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." Now, I realize the word "let" is not in this verse. But notice, if you would please, there is the word "and" in verse 17, the very first word. It is a conjunction. Now that is joining verse 17 with verse 15 and verse 16 as well as verse 14. So if the peace of God is ruling in your mind and the Word of Christ is dwelling in you richly, then thirdly you're going to have the glory of God controlling your words and deeds. He said, "Whatsoever you do in word or deed"—that would be everything—"do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." So probably everyone can

answer this catechetical question: "What is the chief end of man?" And the answer is, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." So, whatever you do in word or deed, whether you're speaking or whether you're acting, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. Now, here's the interesting thing. He said, "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all to the glory of God." Wow. In other words, if the peace of God is ruling in our minds, and if the word of Christ is dwelling in us richly, then the controlling aim, the controlling purpose of our life is going to be to bring honor and glory to God. So He's giving us then a universal direction for every capacity of our being, both personal and relative, in every motion. A Christian should be doing that which is pleasing and acceptable unto God. And how do we do that which is pleasing and acceptable unto God? Whatever we do in word or deed, we do all to His honor and glory.

Now, I want you to see two verses. I want you to turn back just a few pages to the book of Ephesians. Look in chapter 5 and verse 20. Ephesians 5 and verse 20. Look what he says:

Notice this: "giving thanks always"—look at this—"for all things." Let me ask you a question. How many of you ever thank God that you had the flu? How many have ever thanked God that you had to go to the hospital for surgery? You know, those are things we don't normally thank God for. But let me tell you something: you could thank God even if you have the flu that at least you're not dead. You can thank God if you have to have surgery that it's no worse than what it really is. So I said, "In everything give thanks unto God." Now look in the book of Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 15. Hebrews—James, Hebrews—13 verse 15.

Look at this: "By Him"—that is by Jesus Christ—"By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." So we as priests are to be offering the sacrifice of praise continually, and that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name, but note the first two words: "by Him," or "through Him," or "in Him." Now, note if you would, nothing is left out for which we should give our Lord thanks and praise. Everything in word or deed is to be done for His honor and glory. Everything is to be done in faith. You remember that verse in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 31? He says, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Whether in preaching the Word of Christ, in hearing the gospel, in singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, in conference and conversation with each other, or in whatsoever action, civil or religious, throughout the whole life and conversation, in the performance of things natural, moral, and evangelical, relating to God or man, or to one another, in the world or the church." Everything.

So let me make a statement, and I want you to think about this. Everything begins and ends with God. Everything should begin and end with God. Let me give you one more quote. Here's why. Here's what Calvin said: "For we shall fitly comprehend under this term the two following things. Number one, that all our aims may set out with the invocation of Christ and may be subservient to His glory. From invocation follows the act of blessing God, which supplies us with a matter of thanksgiving. It is also to be observed that He teaches that we must give thanks to the Father through Christ, as we obtain through Him"—that is through Christ—"every good thing that God bestows upon us." Have you ever stopped to think that everything that God the Father bestows upon us is in and through and because of Jesus Christ? Ephesians 1 in verse 3 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places." Note, if you would, everything is in Christ.

Application to Relationships (vv.18-25)

These three commands resolve family and social problems: wives submit, husbands love, children obey, fathers do not provoke, and servants work heartily as to the Lord.

So let me make a statement, and I want you to think about this. Everything begins and ends with God. Everything should begin and end with God. Let me give you one more quote. Here's why. Here's what Calvin said: "For we shall fitly comprehend under this term the two following things. Number one, that all our aims may set out with the invocation of Christ and may be subservient to His glory. From invocation follows the act of blessing God, which supplies us with a matter of thanksgiving. It is also to be observed that He teaches that we must give thanks to the Father through Christ, as we obtain through Him"—that is through Christ—"every good thing that God bestows upon us." Have you ever stopped to think that everything that God the Father bestows upon us is in and through and because of Jesus Christ? Ephesians 1 in verse 3 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places." Note, if you would, everything is in Christ.

Everything is through Christ. Everything is by Christ. So we're to give thanks to the Father by Him. Now, I said earlier that everything begins and ends with God. So here's what I mean by that. If the peace of God is ruling in your heart, it is because the word of Christ is dwelling in you richly. If the word of Christ is dwelling in you richly, it is because you have a set purpose and aim to honor and glorify God. Now, here's what I want to show you today. I want you to see how important these three things are. Let the peace of God rule. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. And let the honor and glory of God be your aim and purpose.

The Apostle Paul, like an excellent physician, makes not only a diagnosis, but he tells us the remedy for the diagnosis or the problem. So before I show you this, I want to remind you of this one more time. What did he say? "Let the peace of God be an umpire in your heart." If there's no peace in your heart, if there's no peace in your mind, it cannot be an umpire. The peace of God has to be there. The peace of God has to come through the word of Christ dwelling in you richly. The word of Christ is going to come through you honoring Him and setting God's honor and glory above all things in your life. Now, I'm going to show you how that's going to cure all problems—or at least most of them, 99% of them—if we do these three things. Now, look at it. I just read verse 15: "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts." Verse 16: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom."

Verse 17: "And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of our Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." Those three things. Now look: "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord." What does that mean? It means a wife that has the peace of God ruling in her life, and the Word of God dwelling in her richly, and she wants to honor and glorify God, will submit to her husband. Hmm. Look at verse 19: "Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them." What does that mean? That means if a husband has the peace of God ruling in his heart, the word of Christ dwelling in him richly, and he set the honor and glory of God as his main end and purpose, he's going to love his wife as Christ loved the church, and he's not going to be bitter against her. That's going to take care of your family problems. There's another family problem. Look at it, verse 20.

"Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord." Wow. Just think, if our children had the peace of God ruling in their hearts, if our children had the word of God dwelling in them richly, if the children had for their purpose the aim and honor and glory of God, then they're going to do that which is well-pleasing unto the Lord. They're going to obey their parents in all things. There are most of your family problems just taken care of right there. But here's another family problem. Verse 21: "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged." So, once again, if the peace of God is in the father's heart and it's ruling, if the word of Christ is dwelling in him richly and he wants to honor and glorify God, he is not going to be doing things that will provoke or discourage his children.

Ah, now let's get to an equitable situation. What does it say? "Servants"—actually slaves—"slaves, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men-pleasers." Don't do it just to get something extra, "but in singleness of heart, fearing God." Look at this: "And whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord, and not unto men." Oh, I heard someone say just recently that all slavery is wrong. That is not true. There is a biblical doctrine of slavery, and there is an unbiblical doctrine of slavery. Biblical slavery was usually temporary, not more than six years. On the seventh year, the man had to be set free. But biblical slavery was to teach someone responsibility, accountability, and to be able to work and take care of themselves. This was not kidnapping. A man could sell himself into slavery in the Bible. A man could be captured in war in the Bible and become a slave. I don't know about you, but if I was captured in war and became a slave, I'd much prefer that than having my head cut off.

There's a biblical slavery. There's non-biblical slavery. And so here he says, "Slaves, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh. Not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord." By the way, there were Christian slaves. You remember the great hymn that we sing all the time, "Amazing Grace," was written by John Newton, who was a slave trader. And God saved him. I'm just simply pointing out the fact. Here's what he's saying now. Look, if you would, at verses 24 and 25. I want you to watch this. Verse 24, he says, "Knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ." Now wait a minute. If these three things are in your life—the peace of God ruling in your hearts, the word of Christ dwelling in you richly, and you have for your aim and purpose the honor and glory of God—you know that you shall receive the reward of the inheritance. Why? "For you serve the Lord Christ." That's how we serve Him. "But he that doeth wrong"—that is, he that does not have these things in his life—"he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done, and there is no respecter of persons." Now I want you to note how these things affect our lives. If the peace of God ruling in our hearts, the Word of Christ dwelling in us richly, and of course our honor and glory of God for our main purpose and end is really controlling us,

it's going to resolve family problems, domestic problems, business problems, equity problems, and other problems as well. And then, of course, we are indeed to know that we serve the Lord Christ.

Conclusion: The Necessity of Submission

Without submission to God, these commands cannot be fulfilled. Losing peace indicates a loss of something else; the peace of God must rule for all to be safe.

it's going to resolve family problems, domestic problems, business problems, equity problems, and other problems as well. And then, of course, we are indeed to know that we serve the Lord Christ. Now, he said also in the latter part of verse 17, "giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." We're to always give thanks to Him. We're to continue in prayer, and we're always to watch with thanksgiving.

Now, let me make a couple of applications before we close. The first one is a quote from Adam Clarke. I want you to listen to what he said, and he's specifically speaking about verse 15 in Colossians 3. He says, "No heart is right with God where the peace of God does not rule. And the continual prevalence of the peace of Christ is the decisive proof that the heart is right with God. When a man loses his peace, it is an awful proof that he's lost something else, that he's given away to evil and grieved the Spirit of God." And then he says, "When peace rules, all is safe." I hope you remember Psalm 51 where David is confessing his sin and acknowledging his sin against God, and he prays, "Restore to me the joy of thy salvation." So it's not just peace that you lose in sinning. It's also the joy of salvation. So he says when you lose the peace of God, he said you have heard—because it is to rule our hearts and minds—when you decide that you yourself are going to be the umpire, you're in bad, bad trouble.

Please remember that it is impossible for the peace of God to rule without the word of Christ dwelling in you richly. And if the word of Christ is not dwelling in you richly, you will not have the honor and glory of God as your aim and purpose. Here's my last one. These truths go far beyond our physical family and they reach our spiritual family. We've been called into one body, and that body is of Christ.

So we have to desire harmony and quietness and comfort and unity. If these principles are in our lives, there's no problem with getting along and loving each other. I have found unhappily that many times it's not just Christians, sometimes it's preachers that just cannot be satisfied unless there's a fight brewing or someone stirring up trouble. I've known people, and Alice knows some of which I'm thinking right now. They could not be happy unless they were fussing and fighting. That boggles my mind because God has called us to peace. God has called us to obedience. God has called us to submission. Are you listening? None of these things can be in your mind or in your life or in your heart unless you have a submissive attitude. If you do not submit to God, there will not be the peace of God ruling in your heart. If you do not submit to Him, the Word of Christ is not going to be dwelling in you richly. If you do not submit to Him, His honor and His glory is not your aim or your purpose. What your aim and purpose is, is the fulfillment of your flesh, your lust, your desires, what you see, what you want, your will, your way.

You're not interested in serving Him. May I end with this? These are commanded. Not a suggestion. If we're a child of God, the peace of God is to rule. The word of Christ is to dwell in us richly, and we should have as our aim and purpose the honor and the glory of God. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask for Your grace particularly.

Lord, we confess and acknowledge we need these things in our lives. You've commanded it, Lord. Enable us to be submissive. Enable us, Lord, to honor Thee and to glorify Thee, and, Lord, to possess these characteristics. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.