-Sung Psalm- 52---What Paul says to masters and slaves applies to all of us. All of us - in one way or another - will be in charge of some project or situation - a master. When you are in a position of authority, treat those under your care justly and fairly. Remember that you also have a Master in heaven - and he will judge you by the same standard that you use to govern those under your care---We need bosses who will do what is just and fair - for everyone---Because all of us - at some other point - will be bondservants. All of us will be in a position of subordination - where we have to submit to those in authority over us- Even the branches of the U.S. government have to submit to the other branches in some way.--By the way, this is also true in much smaller worlds- our workplace, the household, a sports team, a marriage. And when we are the inferior - we need to recognize and honor our superiors.--After all, you are serving the Lord Christ- Jesus is King. He is Lord. He is Christ - the anointed King.--When you are at work - remember that you are no longer who you once were- You are a servant of the Lord Jesus. You are working not for man, but for King Jesus---Your work is not merely for your earthly master. Your work - your everyday, ordinary labor - is primarily about serving the kingdom of Jesus---You're not just working for a paycheck. You're not just working to advance the interests of your earthly boss.--Your purpose in your daily labors is to advance the kingdom of Christ.

How can you draw near to God- This is what chapters 1-10 will answer. You need offerings -chapters 1-7-. And you need priests -chapters 8-10-.--We often focus so much on the bloody sacrifices that we forget about the grain offering. What was the point of the grain offering---The grain offering is actually called a minha - a -tribute offering-. The term -minha- means a present or a donation - but it was used euphemistically to refer to the tribute that people would bring to their overlord.--So the grain offering is where God's people acknowledge that God alone is their God...

-Sung Psalm- 34---Since you have been raised with Christ, since you have died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God - since you are a new man in him, this should affect everything you do.--In verse 21 Paul turns to the parents - and particularly the fathers. Why does he address only the fathers- It's not because mothers don't ever provoke their children. No, Paul knows the human heart too well to suppose that mothers are perfect- --Rather, in this statement, Paul addresses both fathers and mothers. The husband is the head of the wife, and so he should provide leadership in the parenting of the children. This does not eliminate the responsibility of the mother, rather this is a direct challenge to the tendency of fathers to ignore their family responsibilities.--The whole of Scripture gives direct commands for fathers to be involved in the training of children - especially in their spiritual training. You are to be a model of God the Father in your love and care for your children. --In other words, verse 21 is another application of the whole chapter- So let's go through Colossians 3 with verse 21 in mind...

For most of you, when you start your goal of reading through the Bible, you reach Leviticus and say, -What is this doing here- What does Leviticus have to do with following Jesus------Everything.--Leviticus is all about how man may dwell with God. This is -- after all -- the whole point of, well, everything.--Think back to Genesis 1-3. Adam and Eve were banished from God's presence because of their rebellion. God is holy. How can sinners enter the presence of a holy God- --Think forward to Deuteronomy. Israel is about to enter the Promised Land - God is calling his people to dwell with him. But in order for God's people to dwell with him they must be holy as he is holy---Leviticus sits at the very center of the Pentateuch -the five books of Moses-. It is the hinge upon which the door of salvation turns.

-Sung Psalm- 119-9-16---Proverbs 1-9 consists of a father's admonition to his son. Or perhaps I should say, the Father's admonition to his beloved Son---The point that the Father is making is really important for us.--Do you still have to obey your parents once you are grown up- The Father says to his Son - -My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.- -v1-2---Insofar as your parents teaching aligns with God's teaching, then you need to obey them. And - in that sense - there is no expiration date.--You can't say, -well I'm 18 now-- If it's what the wisdom of God says - then you need to obey it -no matter how old you are--.--We live in a day when everyone does what is right in their own eyes. We need to learn obedience.- -We don't like obedience very much- But that simply reveals how sinful and rebellious we are-

Last time we heard about how Benjamin had turned so far from the LORD, that they became worse than Canaanites - they became like Sodom and Gomorrah.--And so all Benjamin was destroyed by their brethren. Israel, under the leadership of Judah, wiped Benjamin out - all except for 600 men who hid in the wilderness.--Now we hear -the rest of the story...-

-Sung Psalm- 113---I've talked with many women who are frustrated by the Proverbs 31 woman- She seems so perfect - so unattainable - so unrealistic---What do we do with this- --We could go the route of saying, -this is impossible - I can't be that----But scripture reminds us that God's standard is not attainable in this life- -For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God----But the standard of truth - of justice - of beauty - remains---Proverbs 31 shows us Lady Wisdom. Proverbs 1-9 had introduced us to Lady Wisdom - as the Father called his Son to -get wisdom- - to marry Wisdom - to spend his life with Wisdom- Proverbs 31 shows us what Lady Wisdom looks like in her earthly garb - you might say.--Proverbs 31 shows us a woman who fears the LORD. She is strong - confident - wise - caring. It's worth noting that when Paul describes the things that should characterize a widow in 1 Timothy 5, he draws on these same themes.--Notice that Paul says that this is what she should have done before she became a widow- Young ladies - take note- This is what you should start doing now----having a reputation for good works- if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.- -1 Tim 5-10---Truly as the husband of Proverbs 31 says, -Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all...-

We saw last week how Judges 19 is a tale of two cities - Bethlehem in Judah - where the hospitality is top notch- And Gibeah in Benjamin - where the hospitality reminds us of Sodom in the days of Lot - when God sent fire from heaven to destroy the city because of its wickedness.--David - of course - was the King from Bethlehem in Judah - but Saul was the King from Gibeah in Benjamin.--The contrast between the two cities is clear- you don't want a king from Gibeah- Why would you want a king from a city that acted like Sodom---Judges 19 ends with the concubine from Bethlehem in Judah gang raped - murdered - and cut up in twelve pieces - sent as a grisly message to all Israel, summoning the people of God to action.--But as the refrain of the book of Judges says- -In those days, there was no king in Israel - everyone did what was right in his own eyes.-

-Sung Psalm- 46---Last time, we left off in the middle of verse 15, as Paul is describing five imperatives of the Christian life.--You can see these five imperatives in verses 12-17-- -Put on-- the qualities of Christ -verses 12-14-- -Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts- -v15a-- -Be thankful- -v15b-- -Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly- -v16-- -and do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus- -v17---We'll be exploring these five imperatives over the next few weeks, because what Paul does at the end of chapter 3 is apply these five imperatives to our everyday relationships- Husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and slaves.--The commands - the imperatives - of the Christian life are rooted in the indicative - the statement of who you are in Christ.

We've been working through the book of Judges. Judges is all about how Israel - the people of God - became just like the other nations. It's a story of sin, rebellion, and death.--It's a world where everyone does what is right in their own eyes. And so - not surprisingly - the story gets more and more out of control.--Judges 19 is the worst story in the whole book.--As I reflected on this text, and as I thought about who would be here, I realized that this horrible story was given to us by God precisely for the sake of our children.--After all, the book of Judges was written as a sermon warning the people of God - the generations who would come - do not follow the path of oppression, wickedness, and vice.--It will not do to pretend that bad things don't happen. The Word of God tells us plainly and clearly that bad things - horrible things - do happen - and we don't always understand why - we don't always see the point at the time.--But our text for tonight shows us how much we need Jesus - we need a King who will do what is right - and who will lead us to do what is right in God's eyes.--Because, as the refrain of the book of Judges says- -In those days, there was no king in Israel - everyone did what was right in his own eyes.-