Sunday, January 13,
2013
Let the Word of Christ Dwell in You
Richly
(Col. 3:16)
Read Col. 3:1-17
Context in Colossians...
Read Col.
2:6-7. "As you have therefore
received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established
in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving." But in verse 8 Paul tells them to beware of
the philosophies and traditions of men.
Now come down to verses 20-23, "Therefore, if you died with Christ
from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do
you subject yourselves to regulations-- 'Do not touch, do not taste, do not
handle,' which all concern things which perish with the using--according to the
commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of
wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but
are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh." These outward efforts and stringent rules
will not bring victory over the flesh.
That brings
us to chapter 3. The key is this root
principle which we find in verses 1-4, "If then you were raised with
Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the
right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is
our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory." We are to do two things: seek those things which are above and set our
minds on those things. In these same
verses, we see three motivations for this seeking and setting of the mind...
...We
were raised with Christ
...We
died and our life is hid with Christ in God
...The
time is coming when we shall be made manifest with Christ, who is our life
(past, present, future)
So in 3:1-4 the focus is on our union
with Christ and the power and motivation that comes from that union. Then in 3:5-4:6 we have the application of
our union with Christ. Now comes the
practical guidelines for the day to day lives we are to live.
3:5-11........... Vices of the old life that are to be
abandoned
3:12-17......... Virtues of the new life that are to be
cultivated
3:18-4:1........ Family relationships that are to be
strengthened
4:2-6............. Godly duties that are to be performed
We are
focusing in on verses 12-17, for it is there that we find the command to let
the word of Christ dwell in us richly.
In verse 12, Paul addresses his readers as the chosen of God, holy ones,
and those who are beloved of God. The
virtues to be put on in verses 12-14 are summed up by love. Then in verses 15-17 Paul sets before us the
peace of Christ, the word of Christ, and the name of Christ.
Now in that
context, let's look at this little command:
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." We must understand that obedience to this
command is central in living out the life we have in Christ.
Looking at the key words...
Dwell -- The word
translated "dwell" in Col. 3:16 is enoikew. Notice how it (and two other forms of
it,
which have very
similar meaning) is used in the New Testament.
katoikew (The
common word for physical dwelling/living. Used over 40 times in the New
Testament. For example, this word is
used 12 times in Revelation, almost every time of "those that dwell upon
the earth." But four times it is
used metaphorically, that is, not in a literal sense.)
Ephesians
3:17... that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
Colossians
1:19... For it pleased the Father that
in Him all the fullness should dwell,
Colossians
2:9... For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
2 Peter
3:13... Nevertheless we, according to
His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
oikew (exhaustive
-- that is, every use in the New Testament)
Romans
7:17... But now, it is no longer I who
do it, but sin that dwells in me.
Romans
7:18... For I know that in me (that is,
in my flesh) nothing good dwells;
for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
Romans 7:20...
Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
Romans 8:9... But
you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not
have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
Romans 8:11...
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give
life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells (enoikew)
in you.
1 Corinthians
3:16... Do you not know that you are the
temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells
in you?
1 Corinthians
7:12... But to the rest I, not the Lord,
say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her.
1 Corinthians
7:13... And a woman who has a husband
who does not believe, if he is willing to live
with her, let her not divorce him.
1 Timothy
6:16... who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom
no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
enoikew (exhaustive)
Romans 8:11... But if the Spirit of Him who
raised Jesus from the dead dwells (oikew)
in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal
bodies through His Spirit who dwells in
you.
2 Corinthians
6:16... And what agreement has the
temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has
said: "I will dwell in them And
walk among them. I will be their God, And they
shall be My people."
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.
2 Timothy
1:5... when I call to remembrance the
genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt
first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in
you also.
2 Timothy
1:14... That good thing which was
committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
* Scriptures quoted from the New King James Version
Richly -- Noun: normally
of physical wealth, but 4 times metaphorically = Eph. 2:4; Jms 2:5; II Cor.
8:9; Rev. 2:9
Adverb: Exh--
Col. 3:16; II Tim. 6:17; Tit. 3:16; II Pet. 1:11 (note that in the KJV
it is twice
translated "abundantly"
= abundantly, to
the full
Word of Christ -- Can be taken in one of two ways...
Subjective
-- The words which Christ has spoken
Objective
-- The message about Christ
*Both are
equally correct grammatically. Down
through the years some have favored one and some the other.
I see no
reason why we can't emphasize both.
Jesus spoke many words. We have
already read quite a few of them this
morning. On the other hand, the New
Testament is full of the message that is centered in Christ, which is basically
the gospel. For example, I Cor. 1:18 and
II Cor. 5:19. For examples of the use of
the term "word"
where it could refer to Christ's words or to the message about Christ, see John
17:20 and Acts 8:25; 13:49;
15:35; 16:32; 19:10.
So back to the
command: "Let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly." What does it
mean?
>> oikos... This is the Greek word for house. Do you see that it is closely related to the
three words
we looked at earlier. oikos, of course, is the noun form. It means "house," but strictly
speaking
"an inhabited house."
There is another
separate word for a building. We
sometimes speak of
the difference between a house and a home.That is the
idea here. Oikos speaks more of a home.
Let the word of Christ be at
home in you, be abundantly at home in you, be absolutely at home in
you.
Ill. -- All
of us feel more at home in some places than others. I love all of you, but I don't feel at home
in all of
your houses. If I go into a home where I
have never been before, I don't feel very at home. Now it's true
that those who live there can speak works to help me feel at home, and that is
nice. If I go to Norman
and Rita's house, I feel more at home.
Good. If I go to Tracy and
Lindsay's house, I feel more at
home than at Norman and Rita's. After
all, they are raising our grandkids there!
And we have spent a
lot of time with them, especially the one who grew up in our home for 18
years. If I go over to Granny's
house, perhaps I feel even more at home, because I have been in that house more
than any other
except my own. One of he main reasons I
had to lose some weight was because I have shared many
meals in that house. But where I feel
most at home is in this house right over here.
Why? Because
it is absolutely home. I live
there. I sleep there in the same bed
every night. I eat most of my meals
there. Now that the cold weather is here
and Rhonda is teaching in the mornings, I am even doing
most of my studying there. Even more
than that, the person I know best in this world lives with me there. In other words, there is nothing to hide when
I am in my home. If I want to lounge
around in my sweats
and houseshoes, I do. And Rhonda is
absolutely at home with me. We share everything. We feel
absolutely comfortable in our home and with one another.
That is the
way the word of Christ is to be at home in us.
When I come home into the house with Rhonda, the
whole place is open to me. There isn't a
part into which I cannot go. I pretty
well know the location of
everything in the house (unless I have forgotten). That is the way the word of Christ is to
dwell in me and
in you. To put it simply, the word of
Christ is to dwell in us richly, to be absolutely at home in us, to
fill us to overflowing.
This is
more than acquaintance with the Word of Christ.
And this is far deeper than head knowledge. Suppose Norman
gives me a floor plan of his house and I study it diligently. He notes on that plan where all the furniture
is. Once I have learned that, will I
feel at home when I go to his house? Not
really. The only way
I will feel at home is if I spend time in the house and getting to know the
people who live there. This
indwelling of the word of Christ is not an academic pursuit, but a way of life.
Perhaps a
more direct illustration would be along the lines of how we make someone else
feel at home in our own
house. Suppose I say to you,
"Welcome to our home. This is your
bedroom. You can put all your things in here. You can use the adjoining
bathroom." That's nice, but that
isn't going to make you feel very
much at home. You will make sure you
pretty much stay within those two rooms.
But suppose I say,
"Now this is your bedroom, where you will sleep. And this adjoining bathroom should meet your needs. But you have the full run of the house. Feel free to raid the refrigerator in the
middle of the night. There are the washer and dryer, if you want
to do laundry. We spend most of our time
in the den. Feel
free to come in and join us at any time.
Here is the key to the house, in case you come in late." In
both cases, you will be staying in my house, but there is a world of difference
between the two situations.
"Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly."
Let the word of Christ have the run of your life. Let it be abundantly
present in every room.
Col. 3:16 and Eph.
5:18
As some of
you know, Colossians and Ephesians are sometimes referred to as companion letters. That is be-
cause there are some great similarities. Nowhere is this as true as in Col. 3:16b-4:1
and Eph. 5:19-6:9. Just scan through
those passages. At first there is the
little bit about speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual
songs. Then in both letters Paul
addresses, wives, husbands, children, and fathers in the same order, followed
by a word to slaves and masters.
Now notice
what comes before those similarities in these two letters. Obviously, in Colossians it is, "Let the
word of Christ dwell in you richly."
In Ephesians it is, "Be not drunk with wine..., but be filled with
the Spirit" (5:18). We cannot
escape a parallel between these two commands.
While they are not identical, they are essentially the same.
Though this
parallel is widely recognized, sometimes we are uncomfortable with it. Why?
Because we feel like emphasizing this parallel waters down the meaning
of being filled with the Spirit.
"Oh, being filled with the Spirit is simply letting the word of Christ
dwell in you richly." The problem
is not in watering down the meaning of being filled with the Spirit; the
problem is in the fact that we haven't fully appreciated the depth of letting
the word of Christ dwell in you richly.
While we can't so easily reduce being filled with the Spirit to
mechanics, that is exactly what we tend to do with the word of Christ. We turn it into reading, memorizing, and
Bible study. Those are not bad things,
but you can practice all three and not let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly. When we properly understand what
it means to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, then we won't have any
trouble paralleling it with "Be filled with the Spirit."
Let me
remind you of our little study of the word "dwell." Do you remember what we found? Let me give you a review. Consider the two primary words that are
translated "dwell" (oikew and
enoikew). Of the 14 uses of these two words, five of
them speak of the Spirit dwelling within us.
Yet this is the very word that Paul uses when he commands us to let the
word of Christ dwell in us. The
connection between the two is stronger than just the parallel between Eph. 5:18
and Col. 3:16. How can we separate the
word of Christ from the Spirit of Christ?
Eph. 3:17
Also I want
to bring you back to Eph. 3:17, where the other oikew word was used
(katoikew). Though this word is widely
used in the New Testament to speak of physical dwelling, it is used
metaphorically four times, and one of them is in Eph. 3:17, "that
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith..." It is the same basic idea that we find in Col.
3:16, "that Christ may settle down and be at home in your
hearts." Of course, this speaks of
Christ Himself instead of the Word of Christ.
That brings
us back to John 15, which we looked at last week, as we noticed the strong
connection between walking in the Spirit and abiding in Christ. Let's read again John 15:5, "I am the
vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much
fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
But now come to 15:7, "If you abide in Me, and
My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for
you." Verse 5 speaks of Christ
abiding in us, which verse 7 speaks of His words abiding in us. Again, though they are not identical, how can
we separate them?
Now let's come to the
actual word of Christ...
As I
explained, we can take the word of Christ to mean the words that Christ spoke,
as well as the message about Christ. Now
I want us to read some of the words Jesus spoke as well as the message about
Him.
I am just
doing with you what I did by myself about a week ago. I was dwelling on this idea of letting the
word of Christ dwell in me richly -- both the words with Christ spoke and the
message about Christ. I determined that
I would ask the Lord to bring to mind special words of Jesus to me and then
alternately great passages about Jesus.
Then I took my Bible, got on my knees, and began to read passages from
His Word. No, that is not the end, but
it sure makes for a good beginning. I'm
saying, "Lord, I want to welcome into this home the word of Christ. Lord Jesus, I want your words and the good
news about you to be at home in me and occupy me at all times."
Phil. 2:5-11 Mt.
9:35-36 Jn. 10:1-18,27-30 Lk. 23:23-37
Matt. 5:3-12 Mk.1:9-2:17 Heb. 13:8 Jn.
19:28-30a
Luke 4:18-21 John
3:14-21 1 Pet. 2:21-25 Lk. 23:46
Acts 10:38 Mt
11:28-30 1 Pet.
3:18a I Cor.
15:1-4
You may
notice that these passages alternate between the word (message) about Christ
and the words which Christ spoke.
(Earlier this morning we read John 15 and John 17, all the words of
Jesus).
Assignment...
1. Pray... going
back over what we looked at this morning
letting
the Lord search your heart
asking
that Christ's Word dwell in you richly (for His glory)
2. Read -- the
passages listed above (or let the Lord
lead you to passages)
3. Rejoice -- What a privilege to have Christ's
word dwelling in us richly!
...Ex:
Mary (Luke 1:46-56)... echoing Hannah in I Sam. 2:1-10
...Ps. 37:4 -- Delight yourself in the
Lord, and He will give you desires of your heart.
4. Share -- Opportunities will be found in... ... daily
life
...
this Wednesday evening
...
next Sunday morning
The Word: Handle
it (II Tim. 2:15), Hide it (Ps. 119:11),
Heed it (Matt. 13:9), Hold it forth (Phil. 2:16)... from
John MacArthur
No comments:
Post a Comment