Amen. We come now to the exposition of God's Holy Word in congregation. Let me ask you, please, to take your Bibles out at this time, and we want to turn back to Ephesians. As we have been going through the book of Ephesians over these last several years, Find our place here in the sixth chapter. And we want to look today at verses five through nine. Here we have the subject of servants and masters. Let me begin by reading the text in your hearing, Ephesians chapter six and verse five. Here we read the word of the Lord. Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh. with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ, not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill, doing service as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. And you masters do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him. Let's now join together before the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, we bow before you as we come before your word. We pray, Lord, that you would help us to see the clear teaching of your scripture, to embrace it, and Father, by your grace, obey what it says, that we would be drawn closer to your son, that we would be grateful that you have saved us from slavery to self and sin and Satan, And you have called us to be your servants and slaves, where our master is the Lord Jesus Christ. Help us that we would live in a manner becoming of our new master. And Father, those who do not have Jesus Christ as their master, may they turn by your grace and enablement to embrace Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. for your honor and for your glory. Father, bless your people, strengthen your church, and extend your kingdom. And we pray this all in Christ's holy name, amen. As we have been going through the book of Ephesians in chapters 5 and 6, we have been noting these three sets of submission and authority relationships. In chapter 5, we talked about wives and husbands. In the first four verses of chapter 6, we talked about children and parents. Now, in verses 5 through 9, we come to that third set, which is servants and masters. We recognize that the subject of slavery is a sensitive subject in our day. And yet we also acknowledge readily that the Bible addresses the topic of slavery often, very frequently in both the Old and the New Testament. The institution of slavery has been practiced throughout much of human history. It isn't unique or particular to American history, but it is an institution that you find in history in all countries and nations throughout our recorded records. So when we think about this subject, we come here to this teaching about the instructions of God to slaves and to masters. We want to step back just a little bit And we want to look at what the Bible says about slavery and about this institution. Because when you read these verses, you might just in first reading say, well, this is rather odd. Here the apostle is addressing slavery and masters. That doesn't seem very becoming. And yet I think we will see more clearly how this is very consistent. I want to consider, first of all, slavery in the Old Testament. And so if you would please, let's take our Bibles and turn back to Genesis. What we will discover as we think about the Old Testament world is that slavery was universally practiced, both in the nation of Israel and in other nations surrounding them. And when we come to Genesis chapter 9, if you look in chapter 9, here we have the first recorded instance of the subject of slavery. And so I want to read from this text. This of course has to do with Noah and his sons after the flood. And so let's pick up reading in Genesis 9 and verse 18. He says, now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah. And from these, the whole earth was populated. And Noah began to be a farmer and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Jaboth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away and they did not see their father's nakedness. Verse 24. So Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said, cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants, he shall be to his brethren. And he said, verse 26, blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant. May, verse 27, God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant. Now, what I want you to notice is in verse 25, you have this curse on Canaan, and it says that he shall be a servant of servants. The word there, servant, as it's translated in this translation, is the Hebrew word for slave. It is the word ebed which comes from the Hebrew word avad. And so really you could translate this as slave of slaves, the lowest of slaves he shall be. And then of course it's repeated in verse 26. where there is this blessing on Shem, and there is, verse 27, a blessing on Jaboth, but of course there is not a blessing on the third son, Ham, in the text. This passage here is the first instance in the Bible of the subject of slavery. Interestingly, John Calvin, in his commentary, says that what Noah proclaimed here was not simply a personal curse that originated from his heart, but that it was a divine prophecy which was pronounced by Noah. In other words, he was proclaiming a prophecy of the Lord. John Calvin continues in his commentary and he says that the curse extended not only to Canaan but to, quote, the whole seed of Ham, end of quote. So what we have here is this prophecy of slavery that would come as a result of this sin. The first instance in the Bible of slavery. Now, when you look at the rest of the book of Genesis, what do you find? You find slavery found over and over again. The patriarchs were slaveholders. In fact, it might be surprising, we think about Abraham, who is the father of all of the faithful, the friend of God, the father of all who believe, and yet Father Abraham was a great slaveholder, and it is recorded often in the book of Genesis. But I want us to turn from Genesis and I want us to look in the book of Exodus. So turn with me in Exodus chapter 20. Exodus chapter 20, here we have in Exodus 20 the law of God as it is given through Moses. And in chapter 20, what do we have? Well, we have the 10 What are the Ten Commandments? Well, we would say the Ten Commandments are a summary of the moral law of God. And yet, very interestingly, we find in verse 2, at the preface to the Ten Commandments, the reference to the Hebrews and their former bondage in slavery. They were in bondage and slavery and yet God led them out in the exodus. But what is even more significant for our understanding here is that here in the moral law of God in the Ten Commandments, you have two more references to the institution of slavery as was practiced by the Israelites. It is found in both the Fourth Commandment and it is found in the Tenth Commandment. Look with me first of all in verse number eight. This is the fourth commandment, of course it has to do with the Sabbath. And we read in verse eight, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall do no work. And then notice what it says. You or your son or your daughter or your male servant, and the word there in the Hebrew is the word for slave, or your female servant, again the word is for slave, or your cattle, or your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven, the heavens, and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. So there you have this reference to slavery. It isn't a condemnation against the institution. It isn't a statement that says, now you Israelites, you're to be different. You're not to practice slavery. No, rather what you have is that it is assumed they would have slaves. And there is this regulation that their slaves were to rest on the Sabbath like the rest of the family. Again, you will notice in verse 17, the 10th commandment on coveting. And again, you have the institution of slavery. It says, you shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant. nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his doggy, nor anything that is your neighbor's." And again, the word for servant there is the Hebrew word for slave. Again, there's no condemnation, there's no sebit there that says, now slavery's not ideal, I wish you wouldn't do it. No, it just simply is assumed in God's moral law. that they would practice slavery and they weren't to covet someone else's slave. Someone else has slaves and you want their, don't covet their slaves. Don't be envious and desire that you have those slaves. That is a sin. So when we continue here, we know that God is laying out through Moses his moral law. Israel was to be set apart as a holy people among all the nations. They were to be a witness to the apostate world. They weren't to be like the apostates around them. Even some of the laws in ancient Israel, they seem puzzling to us. You know, about cooking a goat in its mother's milk, things like that. Well, there are distinctions with the way the pagan people did things. God's people, Israel, were to be set apart. They were to be distinct. The law was given as a maintenance of true religion, as a barrier against corrupting influence. It was to be for the promotion of moral purity. And yet what we find is that the institution of slavery not only was assumed to be practiced in God's moral law, the Ten Commandments, but God actually spoke to the issue of slavery directly in his legislation. What did God do in His Word? Did He prohibit slavery among the Israelites? Not at all. Instead, what He did is He permitted it, He allowed it, and He gave instructions about how it was to be practiced. So look with me please in Exodus chapter 21. Here we see, and what we're going to note is that there were two different forms of slavery that God allowed in Old Covenant Israel. The first is what you could call Jews enslaving their fellow Jew. That was one type. And then the other type was Jews enslaving other people, that is Gentiles. So in chapter 21, this is addressing a Jew having a fellow Jew as a slave, and it says in verse 1, now these are the judgments which you shall set before them. If you buy a, and notice very carefully, Hebrew servant, and the word there is the word for slave in the Hebrew. If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh year he shall go out free and pay nothing. If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her masters, and he shall go out by himself. But if the servant plainly says, I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go out free, then his master shall bring them to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door or to the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an owl, and he shall serve him forever." So normally, if a Hebrew had a fellow Hebrew as a slave, that was a temporary situation. It was for six years, and then they were to be released in the year of Jubilee. However, here we see in verse 6, there was this stipulation. It may be that that individual wanted to remain a slave. And there was a stipulation there that that could be arranged as well. And they would pierce their ear and they would be a slave forever. Now, turn with me over in Leviticus to Leviticus chapter 25. Again, just looking at what the scriptures say, what God established in his theocratic nation to lead his people in righteousness. So in Leviticus chapter 25, we have again this form of slavery that we would call slaves where Jews owned fellow Jews for a temporary time. And that is found in Leviticus chapter 25 beginning in verse 39 through verse 43. Leviticus 25 verse 39, and if one of your brethren, notice it's speaking about Jews, if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave. As a hired servant and a sojourner, he shall be with you and shall serve you until the year of Jubilee. Then he shall depart from you, he and his children with you, and shall return to his own family. He shall return to the possession of his fathers, for they are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. They shall not be sold as slaves. You shall not rule over them with vigor or rigor rather, but you shall fear your God. Now again, this is talking about the situation where a Jew had a fellow Jew as a slave. It was a kinder, gentler form of slavery, and yet the word still refers to slave. Why is it that they were to be treated much more kindly and not as just a slave, even though it was a slavery of sorts? Well, we are told the reason in verse 42. It is because Hebrews were already slaves of someone else. For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. They should not be sold as slaves." And the word there, my servants, is the Hebrew word for slaves. Hebrews could not be slaves in the classical sense if owned by a fellow Hebrew. Why? Because they're already slaves. Slaves to Almighty God. So that's slavery that was practiced of a Jew having a fellow Jew. What about a Jew having a non-Jew as a slave? Does the Bible speak about that? Yes, it does. Let's just keep reading in our text. Jews enslaving foreigners, the situation was far different. It was what we would call chattel slavery. Verse 44 says, and as for your male and female slaves whom you may have from the nations that are around you. This is talking about Gentiles. Not Hebrews, but Gentiles. From the nations that are around you. From them you may buy male and female slaves. Moreover, you may buy the children of the strangers who dwell among you, and their families who are with you, which they beget in your land, and they shall become your property." And, verse 46, You may take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a possession. They shall be your permanent slaves. But regarding your brethren," talking about Jews, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over one another with rigor. So what do you see here very clearly? There were two forms of slavery. There was, and this was by God's statement and allowance in his law. A Jew could have a fellow Jew, but that slavery was temporary. It wasn't to be as harsh. It wasn't permanent, unless the exception would be if that individual wanted to be a permanent slave, and then they would have their ear pierced with an owl. But if they had slaves from the Gentiles, other nations, that would be chattel slavery, as we would use that terminology today. It would be a permanent relationship, according to Leviticus 25. They would be slaves, and they would be counted as property. and they would be an inheritance passed down as property from one generation to another generation. So what does God set up in his law for ancient Israel? Two different types of slavery, one for Jews, one for other races of people. So it was race-based, either Jew or other races. And if it was races other than Jews, then it was chattel slavery. And so that's what God set up. in his law. Never one time in the Old Testament does it say that slavery is inherently sinful. Never once does God say, you really shouldn't practice slavery, but I'm just going to allow it. No, he laid down all of these specific laws and legislation to regulate and to say, this is what I desire and I allow in your practice as a nation. Now, some might ask the question about the Old Testament. How did an individual become a slave? That's a very good question. Well, under the law of God, if you were a Jew, how could a Jewish person become a slave of a fellow Jew? Four different ways. Number one, they could become a slave of a fellow Jew by birth. Here we see in Exodus 21 verse four, the children of a Hebrew slave became, by the condition of their birth, slaves. Or number two, a father selling his child into slavery. Exodus 21 7, Nehemiah 5 verses 1 through 5. What would be the reason for doing this? Well, because of poverty and financial obligations. Number three, a Jew could become a slave to a fellow Jew not only by birth or a father selling a child, but by selling yourself because of a debt that you had. And this is what we just read in Leviticus 25, verses 39 through 43. This was a kind of debt slavery. It was a slavery that ended whenever the debt was paid. They sold their liberty to preserve their family from suffering. During this time of being enslaved to a fellow Jew, they could learn a trade, become skilled, and improve their lot. And then number four, a Jew could become a slave for a crime. And we're not going to read the text, but in Exodus 22, verses 1 through 4, a thief who was unable to make restitution would be required to, quote, work out their restitution. You have to remember, there were no prisons in the Old Testament days. Hebrews would be basically put in this situation of enslavement to work out, pay back the debt of what they did. were guilty of stealing. So this is how Hebrews could become a slave. Again, it was not as harsh or abusive. It was more of a kinder, gentler form of slavery. Well, if you were a Gentile, now that's the other category, if you were a Gentile, how did a Gentile become a slave of a Jew? Two different ways. Number one, by being a captive of war. A captive of war. And we're not going to look these references up, but Numbers 31, verses 25 through 31, they're the division of plunder after the defeat of Midian. Or Deuteronomy chapter 20, verses 10 through 18. If the Israelites defeated another nation, there was that option there of killing all the people. Sometimes that's what God commanded. Or they could also take some of those people in and they could become slaves for them. And those are the two references where you see that allowed by God. So a Gentile could become a slave of a Jew by being a captive of war. And then secondly, as we just read in Leviticus 25, foreign slaves basically were acquired by purchase. That is by just a Jew would purchase a foreigner, that is not a Hebrew, and they would be a permanent property in perpetuity. They were possessions passed down in the family. This is what we would call chattel slavery. They did not enjoy the same rights or protections as Jewish slaves. This second form, the Gentile form of slavery, listen to what John Gill says in his commentary. And, of course, he's writing in a day when the British Empire practiced slavery. We recognize that. And so this is in that historical context, and I quote, talking about those foreigners who were enslaved by Jews for purchase. He said, quote, They were their property as anything else that was bequeathed to them, as Negroes now are in our plantations abroad. And so John Gill makes the connection there. This second form of slavery, he says, is very analogous to the kind of slavery that was common. It's not common today, obviously, but in John Gill's day, it was very common. And he says that is very similar, that chattel form of slavery. So congregation, many of us are aware of this. Some of us might even be a little bit taken aback and shocked. Is that really what the Bible says? And yet it's because often ministers do not faithfully tell all of the truth of the Holy Scriptures. And they seek to avoid controversial subjects. And yet this is what we find as it relates to slavery in the Old Testament. What about slavery in the New Testament? Let's turn back to the book of Ephesians. All of this is really just kind of laying the groundwork for what we will see in our text. What about slavery in the New Testament? Often there's this claim that the slavery in the New Testament is radically different than the slavery imagined in the Old Testament. And we have here, let's just look at the word first and talk about the word that is used. You'll find in Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 5, it says, the very first word, bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters. The word there, bondservants, is the word doulos. How many of you were aware of that already, that it's the word doulos? You may perhaps have even seen folks There's t-shirts that have doulos of Jesus Christ. It's such a common expression. That Greek word is very commonly known in the English language today. It is the word doulos, which is the word for slave, and yet notice that the translators translate it here as bond servants. Often, this word is translated, depending on the translation that you have, as either servant or bondservant. Rarely, in most modern translations, is it translated as slave. And yet, the word doulos meant, unequivocally, the idea of slavery in the classic sense of the term. Let me quote to you from John MacArthur. Most of us appreciate John MacArthur. He wrote a book entitled Slave, and in that he talks about the use of this word doulos, and I quote. He says, Scripture's prevailing description of the Christian's relationship to Jesus Christ is the slave-master relationship. but do the casual read through your English New Testament and you won't see it. The reason for this is as simple as it is shocking. The Greek word for slave has been covered up by being mistranslated in almost every English version going back to the King James and the Geneva Bible that predated it. Though the word slave, doulos in the Greek, appears 124 times in the original text, it is translated slave only once in the King James. Most of our modern translations do only slightly better It almost seems like a conspiracy. And then he continues. Instead of translating doulos as slave, these translations consistently substitute the word servant in its place. Ironically, the Greek language has at least a half a dozen words that can mean servant. The word doulos is not one of them. Whenever it is used, both in the New Testament and in secular literature, it always and only means slave. According to the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, the foremost authority on the meaning of Greek terms in Scripture, the word doulos is used exclusively, quote, either to describe the status of a slave or an attitude corresponding to that of a slave. The dictionary continues by noting that, and I quote, the meaning is so unequivocal and self-contained that it is superfluous to give examples of the individual terms or to trace the history of the group of words. The emphasis here is always on serving as a slave. Hence, the dictionary continues, we have a service which is not a matter of choice for the one who renders it, which he has to perform whether he likes it or not, because he is subject as a slave to an alien will, to the will of his owner. The term stresses the slave's dependence on his lord. So what you see here is that the word doulos means always slave. Now I will say this because I love the King James and I love the Geneva Bible. The truth is in the 16th century the word slave was used in that culture to refer to prisoners who were in shackled with chains. And I think the translators were trying to get away from that idea, and so they chose the word servant because they didn't want the readers to think we're talking about prisoners in prison. But the Greek word literally means, and it only means, slave. Slave as we would classically understand. Now, what about the practice of slavery in the Roman world, that is, in the first century? It is estimated that there were over 60 million slaves in the days of the Apostle Paul. And we have often said that, well, Roman slavery was so very, very different than the kind of slavery that we imagine. Some slaves in the Roman world, they were able to get education. Some of them were actually well-educated and some of them had great responsibilities, which is often the case in the practice of slavery. Some slaves had very brutal jobs, very hard manual labor like mining. Others had jobs like cleaning and cooking. Others had jobs even as teachers and even physicians. So there was a diversity of opportunity even while serving as a slave. It's certainly true even in American slavery. There was a diversity. You had those who worked in the field. You had those who worked in the houses. You had a division of different opportunities. It was possible in the Roman world under certain circumstances to even gain your freedom. And Paul mentions this in 1 Corinthians 7 and verse 21. He states that if a slave was able to gain their freedom lawfully, they should take that opportunity. He also says there that they should also be content with whatever situation they find themselves in. In other words, they shouldn't escape from that slavery situation. So when we think about the slavery in the Roman world, we should not think that it was somehow not really slavery. Again, I quote from John MacArthur. He says this. He says, quote, in the Greco-Roman world, slaves were considered property to the point that in the eyes of the law, they were regarded as things rather than persons. To be someone's slave was to be his possession, bound to obey his will without hesitation or argument. So there again, we might try to find some kind of a difference between ancient slavery and slavery in the Roman world, but it was still slavery by its definition. So what about this issue of slavery in the New Testament? Let's just briefly consider this. The word slave, doulos, is used metaphorically, and it is used literally. So turn with me in your Bibles to Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter 1, we have one of many examples that we could turn to. Romans 1, in verse 1, Paul says this of himself. He says, Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God. And of course, that word bondservant is the word doulos, which means slave. Paul understood his identity in Christ to be that of a slave, and Christ was his master. He had been purchased, redeemed, in order to be the slave of Jesus Christ. Paul often referred to himself as a slave of Jesus Christ. Titus 1, verse 1, many other examples that we could look at. Look with me please over in Romans chapter 6, and we note in Romans chapter 6 that this idea of slavery used metaphorically was a very powerful teaching point as it relates to our salvation in the Lord. In Romans chapter 6, verses 15 through 23, we have here this contrast between being a slave of sin before we're converted or a slave of righteousness after we are converted. For the sake of time, just look at verses 17 and 18. Paul writes, but God be thankful Verse 17, that though you were slaves, it's the word doulos again, slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves, again the word doulos, slaves of righteousness. Here Paul is basically saying everyone is a slave. Everyone is a slave, metaphorically, spiritually speaking. You are either a slave to sin or you are a slave to righteousness. This is how Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, spoke of the Christian life. Now, turn with me, please, in your Bibles over to Galatians chapter 3. The word slave is used metaphorically, but we see here the word slave is also used literally many times in the New Testament to talk about literal slavery. And when we look at these uses, we can divide them up into two different categories. First of all, a literal use of the word doulos in the New Testament affirms the spiritual equality of Christian slaves. And so we read in Galatians 3 and verse 28, Paul writes and he says, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave, doulos again, slave or free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Paul says in terms of one's spiritual standing, whether you're a slave or whether you're free, there is this spiritual equality we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul speaks of this also in 1 Corinthians 12, verse 13, Colossians 3, verse 11. But even though Paul speaks of this spiritual equality in verse 28, Paul in no way erases or obliterates these distinctions. Amen? These distinctions remain. If you are a woman, you're still a woman in Christ. If you are a man, you're still a man in Christ. If you're a Jew, you're still a Jew. If you're a Greek, you're still a Greek. If you're, as we see in verse 28, a slave, Well, you're still a slave, but you have this spiritual equality, or if you are free. So this in no way erases or obliterates these distinctions. It simply says that even though there are distinctions, spiritually there is equality before the Lord. Now, let's turn to our text now and let's survey what Paul says, having considered this in Ephesians chapter 6. In Ephesians chapter 6, we see that the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ constantly and repeatedly call on slaves and masters to fulfill their God-given obligations. The apostles never say that slavery is sinful. They never say that slaves should all be released and that all this should be erased. Rather, what they do is they give specific teaching for them. So notice in Ephesians 6 verses 5 through 8, what does he say to slaves? Well he says, here is the mark of their service, verse 5, bond servants be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh. You can have a master according to the flesh while at the same time having a spiritual master that is the Lord Jesus Christ. And for your master according to the flesh, what is your duty? Well, verse 5, you are to obey, be obedient. It is a present active imperative. It's the same word as found in verse 1, children obey your parents. This idea of a constant habitual obeying of your master. Notice he continues in verse 5 and he gives how that obedience is to look. He says, first of all, you are to be obeying respectfully, verse five says, with fear and trembling. That is, with a real reverence and respect for your master's authority. They are over you, and you are to respect and reverence that authority, just like the other authority relationships in Ephesians. Not only respectfully, but look at verse 5 again, they are to obey sincerely. He says with sincerity of heart, inwardly, with no duplicity whatsoever. Thirdly, they are to obey faithfully. He says in verse 5 that they are to obey, a very striking statement, as to Christ. Your obedience, he says to the slaves, your obedience to your master is to be obedience as if you were rendering it to the Lord Jesus Christ himself. He continues in verse seven, not with eye service, as men pleasers. That is, it shouldn't merely be outward and external, where it looks like outwardly you're obeying, but inwardly your heart is rebellious. Indeed, he says, continuing as bondservants, as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. This is what God has called them to do. Not merely as men-pleasers seeking the approval of man. And then notice in verse 7, they are to do this cheerfully. He says, with good will, doing good as to the Lord and not to men. And so it is to be rendered this obedience with a cheerful disposition, with a heart of joy. And then notice in verse number eight, what is the motive here? Well, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. He says you need to remember the justice and the equity of God, and you need to be encouraged. You serving faithfully as a slave will not go unnoticed by your heavenly master and you will be blessed for your service. Verse number nine, we see here secondly a word to masters. And you masters, verse nine, do the same things to them giving up threatening knowing that your own master also who is in heaven and there is no partiality with him he says do the same verse number nine act toward your slaves with the same concern for the will of God and the honor of Christ that the slaves have in their obedience to you with a mutual respect and honor and affection." And notice in verse 9, the prohibition, giving up threatening, that is, treat them with kindness. And then finally, he says at the end of verse 9, he says, knowing that your own master also is in heaven. And there again you have this contrast, a heavenly master and an earthly master, knowing as a master your heavenly master is indeed the one who shows no partiality. Your incentive in doing what is right is your accountability to God. That's what he says to masters. So it is very straightforward. It is very succinct. Slaves, they are to obey. They are to obey with love and joy and reverence and devotion and cheerfulness of spirit their master. Masters, they on the other hand, they are to be careful and considerate and kind, and they are to recognize they have a master in heaven that they are to obey. Now, the parallel passage of this is found in Colossians 3. We don't have the time to read it, but as you know, Colossians often parallels in the teaching Colossians 3 verses 22 through chapter 4 verse 1. And basically it's the same teaching. Let's just look at a couple of other texts real quickly as we conclude this morning. Turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter 6. Here again, Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives a word of instruction to slaves and masters. And Paul says in 1 Timothy 6 verse 1, let as many bond servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor. so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. teach and exhort these things, if anyone teaches otherwise, and does not consent to wholesome words, even to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, and other things will arise. So what do we have here in this passage as it relates to slaves and masters? Here Paul tells slaves that they are to serve, they are to serve them, and they are to estimate their earthly master, verse 1, as worthy of all honor. And why are they to do this? So that the name of God and God's doctrine may not be blasphemed. They are to count their master worthy of all honor. And then he says in verse 2, well what about, isn't it all different if your master is a believer? Doesn't that change everything? Is that what he says? No. No, in fact, it only ratchets up that obligation to be a good slave. Those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather, Serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. He says it ought to motivate you to be the best slave you can possibly be because you're serving a fellow brother in Christ. And it will bless and benefit a fellow brother to be the very best slave you possibly can be. Spiritual equality should not in any way lead a slave to disdain the authority of their master. Indeed, what it should do is lead to a greater loyalty to their master. And that's what Paul is saying in this passage. One final place, if you'll turn with me over in 1 Peter chapter 2. 1 Peter chapter 2, we read beginning in verse 18, now here is a word of instruction, what if your master is an evil master? That's the other side of the coin. What if he is a wicked master? Peter writes 1 Peter 2 in verse 18 to servants, and here again, it's the word do laws, it's the word for slave. Verse 18, servants be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable. If because of conscience toward God, one endures grief, suffering wrongfully, for what credit is it if when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. Verse 21, for to this you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow His steps. So here the idea is you may have a harsh Master who mistreats you and what is the will of God revealed by His holy prophets, His apostles? It is very clear. You are to suffer patiently and look to Jesus Christ as your example in that suffering. Now, of course, the book of Philemon also addresses the issue of slavery where you had Onesimus who escaped. He stole something from his master Philemon. He escaped and then he runs into the apostle Paul in Rome and then he's converted to Christ. What does Paul do? Does Paul write to Philemon and say, I found Onesimus, but praise God, he's now a believer and he's now working with me and we're having a grand old time. Don't worry about him anymore. Is that what he says? Not at all. He says, I am sending him back. Because he's your slave, and that's what's the right thing to do. He in no way minimized that he was still his slave. He says, now you are to receive him back, but not just as a slave. You're to receive him back realizing that he's more than that. He's also, in addition to being your slave, He is also a believer in Jesus Christ. And so he will be a great blessing to you in his service. I would love for him to stay with me. He's been a blessing with me, but that's not the right thing to do. I have to send him back because he's your slave and he has to go back because that's what God desires. So congregation, when we think about the Bible, What do we, in looking at the scriptures, see? And again, I said at the very beginning of the message, and we've gone through a lot of stuff very quickly, but it is a sensitive subject to talk about. Not because it's not found frequently in the Bible, but because number one, many people don't know their Bibles very well, and secondly, because of the climate and culture of the day in which we live. But to summarize the biblical teaching, we would say, number one, the Old Testament does not teach that slavery is inherently sinful. Certainly, man-stealing is sinful, according to Exodus 21, verse 16. But what we find is that God permitted and regulated slavery in his theocracy. He legislated two different kinds. There was the kinder, gentler form based on race if it was a fellow Hebrew, but if it was not a Hebrew, then chattel slavery was endorsed and allowed by God. That permanent property that could be passed down as an inheritance. Secondly, when we come to the New Testament, the New Testament does not teach that slavery is inherently sinful. Jesus himself in the prophet Isaiah chapter 53 is called a slave. He uses the institution of slavery frequently in his teaching. He never condemns slavery, he never says it's sinful, but he uses the imagery of slavery in many of his parables. Would he do that as the God incarnate in the flesh with an inexhaustible vocabulary? if the institution of slavery was inherently sinful. Surely he would have avoided those kind of illustrations and found better ones to share. And yet he had no compunction to speak using the language of slavery. Whenever we look into the teachings of the New Testament, we find that the imagery of slavery is very often used to describe our relationship to God. We are slaves of Jesus Christ. You're either a slave of sin or a slave of righteousness. We read all of these instructions from the various apostles about what slaves are to do and what masters are to do. Never one time is it said that slavery is inherently sinful or wrong or it needs to be eradicated, it needs to be done away with. You never find that in the Bible. What you do find in the New Testament is that the New Testament assumes that one could be a Christian, own slaves, and be in good standing in a New Testament church. That's what you find in the New Testament. And this instruction assumes all of those three realities. Thirdly, not only do we see that neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament says that slavery is inherently sinful, the New Testament teaches various duties for both slaves and masters. Slaves were commanded by God through his apostles to obey respectfully, sincerely, cheerfully, and faithfully obey their master as if they're obeying Jesus Christ. That's the word of the apostles to slaves. Masters were commanded, treat your slaves kindly and affectionately and realize as a master you have an ultimate accountability, your master in heaven. And so this is what we find and so when we come in Ephesians to chapter 6 and we read these words For the modern reader, it might sound a little bit disturbing. Wait a minute, we're talking about slaves and masters? This seems very weird, bizarre, strange, and archaic. And yet, Paul writes, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he doesn't flinch one millisecond. He just transitions from husbands, wives, children, parents, slaves, and masters. And there's not even a hint of any impropriety. We would acknowledge that while slavery is not inherently sinful, we would also say that slavery is not God's ideal. It is not God's ideal. There would not be slavery had there not been a fall in the garden. Amen? There would not be a lot of things if there would not have been a fall in the garden. And these various things, whether it is prisons or other institutions or slavery, it would have been a very different world, but these things, they are not the ideal but they were and have been a part of human history and the Bible is not silent on the subject of slavery. We would affirm that the African slave trade of the British Empire was iniquitous. And there was a lot of suffering, a lot of evils attended with that. And so we would be very careful. But we're not talking about that. We've simply been talking about what the Bible says about slavery. And finally, as we conclude this morning, we would say that we do not want to throw out this imagery of slavery and masters. Because, most importantly, this is the language the Bible uses to describe our relationship with God. Amen? He is our Master, Jesus Christ. We are doulos. We are His slaves. How could that ever have been used by the Holy Spirit if slavery is somehow inherently wicked and evil? We are to serve the Lord as those who have been bought with a price. Amen? We have been bought with that price, and that price is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have been redeemed by our Master. And so we are to serve Him just like the instruction given to slaves. We're to serve and obey Him respectfully, cheerfully, faithfully, with a heart of seeking to honor our Master who is in heaven. My friend, do you have Christ as your Savior and Master today? The Bible is very clear. You are a slave. You are either, according to Paul in Romans 6, you're either a slave to sin and unrighteousness or, by the grace of God, you're a slave unto righteousness. Turn to Christ today. Come to Christ and be liberated from one form of slavery and enter into that glorious service that we as God's people enjoy and embrace as servants of Jesus Christ. May many be brought into his kingdom today. Let's bow together in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, as we consider your word today, We do recognize that the topic of slavery is a difficult and sensitive topic in our day. And yet, Lord, we want to be biblical. And we want to follow what your word says. We do not want to be influenced by the opinions and assumptions of our Christless culture. But rather, we want to simply embrace what the scriptures teach. and affirm, let God be true and every man a liar. Father, we are thankful for the teaching on slavery and we are thankful that we see in it our identity as those who have come to Christ, those who have embraced Christ as their master. We gladly willingly, cheerfully, and obediently serve our master and seek to please and honor him. Father, we pray that you would draw sinners to yourself, those apart from Christ. May they find a liberation from their slavery to sin and embrace Christ as that saving master who will give them a new life in Jesus Christ. Father, we pray all of this now in the name of our Savior, our Master, Jesus Christ, and for his sake we pray, Amen. Amen. Let's all stand together now as we prepare to be dismissed. Again, with the words of Holy Scripture, the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. And all of God's people said, amen, amen.