This evening, verse 81 says, submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of the Lord. And reading on down as we have to chapter six, and verse nine, we find this continual theme of practical instruction for Christian living within the home situation, when we are in our private residences. He begins speaking to wives how they should behave. And he brings out the mystery of marriage. He speaks to husbands, saying, so ought men to love their wives. He goes on to speak to children, telling them to obey their parents, honoring father and mother. And parents are instructed to treat their children well, treat them with gentleness, Yes, with discipline and also with instruction. We come now to the final section of this little entreaty that we live our Christian lives correctly in line with God's will for us in the Ephesian Epistle. And the final section deals with servants and masters, or we might say slaves and masters. commonly referred to in the scriptures as those who are bond servants, those who are bound to their master. Perhaps in our modern day we might wonder why the Holy Spirit would entreat Paul to write such an instruction concerning a house. Well, it became clear to me when I read into this that it was a very necessary section to add to this particular part of the Word of God. Why? Because in the day in which Paul is writing, practically every family would have a connection in one way or another with slaves or with servants. I was astonished when I learned that some 60 million slaves, 60 million slaves, were in the provinces of the Roman Empire in the time that Paul was writing this particular passage. 60 million. So every family, every household, virtually, would have some connection, whether by being a slave or employing servants, slaves, they would have a connection with slaves. I understand that one third of the population of every great city would have called themselves slaves or servants. So it follows then that many folks in the Ephesian church to whom Paul was writing this letter were either slaves or masters, or perhaps they were even those who had been freed from their servitude. We must differentiate between present day conception of slavery. Perhaps when we think of slavery, we immediately think of the African people who were taken away and sold into slavery in America and in this country, too. It was not like that during the Roman Empire, and particularly not at the time that Paul is writing. Previous to when Paul was writing, the average slave was often subjected to extreme exploitation, but not so during the time of the early part of the millennium. And so the average slave was not subjected to extreme exploitation when Paul was writing. Previously, they certainly had been. It is said that Aristotle made the comment that a slave is a living tool, and that a tool is a living slave. But even he had eventually, when he thought long and hard about it, had to admit that he was perhaps not quite right, because he admitted in the end that a slave had a soul, whereas a tool did not. So at the time Paul is writing, although it would be certain that some slaves, many perhaps, were being cruelly abused, and there were major slave rebellions during that period, but most of those and most of the abuse occurred before Paul writes this letter. Sweeping changes have been introduced which radically have improved the treatment of slaves. Roman law protected them and certainly gave them a standing within society. Slaves could be freed by their masters. Slaves were allowed to own property. It was a different arrangement between the slaves and the masters to what we might imagine it has to have been. So slavery was not an indication of one's class or one's social status in those days. All were on an equal footing. The slaves and the masters, they could dress the same, they had possessions, they had responsibilities. It was quite difficult, I'm told, to even differentiate them apart, one from the other. So we have to get this in our mind as we look at this instruction here, that the slaves of the time that Paul is writing are very different and treated very differently from those that we might have a modern perception of. Roman slavery was far more humane and civilized. Difficult to imagine when you think what a cruel, wicked nation they were. But as far as the household was concerned, that was the way it was run. It's necessary then to understand the foregoing, and I trust we've got a grip on that, in order to refute a claim that is often laid against Christians, particularly taken from this passage here. It has often been said that Christians do not condemn slavery, modern day slavery. and they are attacked, Christians, for not attacking the slavery that existed during the 17th, 18th centuries. But they are wrong in that because, first of all, they ignore the positive reform of slavery by the Romans, which I've just mentioned. And also, because it was not considered at the time evil by slaves to be slaves, or by masters to have slaves, or to treat them in an evil way. And because of Christianity, To have preached against them in the day in which Paul writes would have been wrong and I understand could even have brought about economic collapse in the communities in which slaves and masters lived and operated. So with all this in mind, the teaching which follows surely not only speaks to us about the way in which Paul would instruct slaves and masters to behave in that day, but it seems to me to have a very, very strong bearing upon the way in which employers and employees react to each other in the day in which we live in this particular time. So the Bible is up to date, as usual. It's relevant to every age. And it speaks, I believe, very clearly to us, not only of employer and employee, but of those of us who would say that, in effect, with Paul, we are slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are followers of him. And it relates to our responsibility in our way we live our Christian lives each day. So first of all then, from verses 5 in chapter 6 down to verse 8, Paul deals with the conduct in the home, remember, in the home for slaves. And he speaks about how they should treat the master of the house, the one who has the authority. He says that the slaves should treat them respectfully, sincerely, conscientiously, and pleasantly. Those four thoughts come out of these verses. So first of all, he speaks about respecting the master. In the beginning of verse 5, he says, servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh. So it seems he's speaking here, Paul, to slaves, to servants, whose masters are not followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, not Christians in the way that we would know it. What he's saying here, Paul, is not that he expects these slaves to have a servile respect for their masters. In other words, whenever they come close to the master shaking in their boots, that's not the thought at all. Christian reverence, he says, and respect for the master's position and the master's authority. You see, the servant in a household has an intimate knowledge of the master's affairs. He knows everything that's going on. I sometimes, if you're watching a drama on the television, and it's based in a time long gone when houses, big houses, were full of servants. And as they're having a meal and they're sitting there, the servants are standing round the room waiting to remove plates, to bring food, all the rest of it. And they were party to everything that was going on in that room, to all the conversations, all the things that were said. Paul says, that's no excuse for the servant to go gossiping about what is being said in the house. Familiarity breeds contempt. And for those servants, Paul is saying, to gossip about their master's affairs would be contemptuous and something that should not be expected. Servants, he says, could become hypocritical, patronizing, could have a sarcastic attitude towards their masters. They could in effect say, and you see this sometimes in these dramas when it seems that the servant or the slave is getting above his station, he might be thinking, I know better than you, master. I know much better than you. But because of the position I'm in, I will feign inferiority. But, but. If I ever get the upper hand, you're going to be in real trouble. Now that's what Paul is saying here. The servants must not have that sort of attitude with their masters. When he writes to Timothy, he speaks of masters being worthy of all honour. So in the case where a Christian slave has a Christian master, nothing changes in that respect. except that they are brothers in Christ. And of course, it's not difficult to see that that could become a problem. Surely, in the local church, the local gathering of the Christians, the possibility could exist where the slave might be a teacher of the word of God. whereas the master might not be, and the master might have to sit beneath the ministry of the slave, being instructed the master by the slave. The roles could easily be reversed in a church situation. And Paul says that whilst that might happen, it should not alter the respectful way in which the slave deals with his master. And it seemed to me that I was thinking about these things over the last week or so, that today the lesson is surely that the Christian employee should be respectful of those holding a position of authority in the workplace. There's no place for a Christian employee to engage in subtle insubordination. in thinly veiled contempt or sardonic humour. These things should not be in the slaves' minds. And remember that Paul is speaking here to those slaves, not to the master. That comes later. So first of all then, to deal with their master respectfully. And then he says, sincerely. In our version here it says, in singleness of heart, in singleness of heart. But the key to it, and as you've probably noticed all the way through this particular section of study, the key to it is as unto Christ. That's the key to everything. It colours the dealings of each other with another as if they were Christ themselves, and I say it reverently. Serving, Paul says, with an undivided mind. Having no ulterior motive or hypocrisy in your dealings with your master. And it's a particular challenge, isn't it, to Christian workers and surely to all believers as we seek to serve God, how we actually serve. Paul is saying we must serve respectfully and sincerely as unto the Lord Jesus Christ. John Scott said in his book, God's New Society, he says this, it is possible for the housewife to cook a meal as if Jesus Christ were going to eat it, or to spring clean the house as if Jesus Christ were to be the honoured guest. It is possible for teachers to educate children, for doctors to treat patients, and nurses to care for them, for solicitors to help clients, shop assistants to serve customers, accountants to order books, and secretaries to type letters, as if in each case they were serving Jesus Christ. It's a sobering thought, isn't it? How do we go about our Christian lives, particularly in our homes perhaps? How do we go about our Christian lives in our local gathering of believers, in our local church? I saw a little illustration that seems to bear it out quite nicely. A man went to visit the building of a great cathedral. It was under construction. And he met a man there, and he said, what are you doing? He said, I'm chipping stones. He met another man, and he said to the man, what are you doing? Well, I'm earning wages. That's what I'm doing. He saw the third man and said the same thing, what are you doing here? He said, I'm building a great cathedral to the glory of God. You know, if we could keep that in our minds, whatever we're doing, whether it be, we can take it further than just the home, whether it be in the home or in our workplace or in the local church to which we belong. Everything we do, everything we do, are we building a cathedral to the glory of God? I was once told by an elderly elder at the church at which I was, And he said to me, and I was probably about 15, 16, he said to me, listen here, Robin, he said, what the Church needs today are faithful people, people who say they will do something and they actually do it. Now I can think of at least two occasions in recent years where people have promised to do things for me within the Church confines and never done it, never done it. You know, it's a solemn thing, isn't it? We need to be doing everything we do, whether it be at home, at work, or in the local church. We need to be doing it, reckoning that we're doing it to the Lord Jesus Christ and for Him. We were always told that we should, whenever we're in a situation, ask ourselves the question, what would Jesus do in this situation? It's not a bad thing to do. But you know, I think too, as far as our service goes for each other, it needs to be, you know, I'm doing this for the Lord Jesus Christ. He did everything for me. He did the very best he possibly could for me. How am I performing for him in the local fellowship? As unto Christ. So this slave is being encouraged to do that with respect and sincerity to those with whom he serves. And we come on now to the conscientiously point, which really expands what I've just been saying. Verse six says, not with eye service, as men pleases, but as the servants of Christ's doing the will of God from the heart. There's no place for employees, Paul says, who only perform well when the boss is looking on. Those of us who've been bosses or been overseers in various respects in life will know that it's perfectly obvious when you come into a room that people start to jump about because the boss is coming. You know, let's stop chatting, let's get on with this, let's do that, the boss is here. The Lord Jesus in Matthew 25 talks about those three servants, the parable of the talents. Three all on an equal footing, given different amounts but the same responsibility, to do the service with that money as if unto the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And two, discharged that responsibility perfectly and were given that commendation, well done, good and faithful servant. But one, buried the money, did nothing with it. In effect, he was a faithful servant, but he was a lazy faithful servant. And he got that commendation of being a wicked and a slothful servant. Whatever task we are given, whether in secular life or whether in the church life. It doesn't make any difference the way in which we should carry out that particular service. We should be the very best employees there possibly can be. We should be the very best neighbours that people have ever had. We should be those of whom people say, why do you do what you do? Why do you behave in the way you do? Why are you so caring? Why are you so kind to me? I guess everybody here, perhaps, I hope, has had that said to them at some time or other. It's a wonderful opportunity, isn't it, to bring to the folks the fact that we do what we do because we're doing it as unto the Lord Jesus Christ. And it gives us an opening to talk to them about the way we are living our lives. So whatever task we do, work energetically all the time. You see, this work makes a difference, not only to God, who of course it does, but to men also. The story is told of a preacher who was invited to a nobleman's house. He couldn't believe that he was being asked into this lavish house for a meal. It just astonished him. And he asked the nobleman, why have I been asked to come here? Because this is way above my station. It's not where I should normally be expected to be. And the nobleman said to him, you're here because of the example you set in the way in which you work and the way you live your life. You're obviously doing it for some reason. And I want to know the reason. Of course, the man could say, I'm doing it because I'm a Christian, and because everything I do, I do to that high standard. Then we come to pleasantly, verses 7 and 8. With a good will, doing services to the Lord, not to men, knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. Serving with a good will. Going about our tasks with pleasantness. I guess we've all suffered at some time from a disagreeable shop assistant. I guess many of us might have suffered at the hands of a disagreeable bank clerk. Perhaps we've all suffered at some time or other from a disagreeable, difficult, cantankerous traffic warden. We come across these people. Paul says, if you're a Christian, you can't be like that. You mustn't be like that. Now, he's not saying that we go around all the time smiling and laughing and joking about everything. But he said you need to be pleasant to everyone that you come in contact with. There are plenty of people out there who make a virtue of being a sour puss. Even some Christians can be like that. And again, perhaps we've all met them. People who bring unpleasantness into anything and everything. They're very difficult people to live with. Very difficult people to react to. Story again is told of a little boy. And he's driving along with his mummy. He says, Mummy, why do all the idiots come out when Daddy drives? And not when you're driving. I've driven with Christian drivers who are appalling in the way they abuse everybody else on the road. You know, it's a bit of a conscience prick sometimes, isn't it? Mummy, why do all the idiots come out when Daddy drives, not when you drive? It's a challenge, isn't it? Doing things pleasantly, Paul says. Paul says, do everything with good cheer. Why? Verse 8. Knowing that whatsoever good thing a man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. What a motivation for pleasantness, isn't it? In our daily lives as we go about our duties. Even the drudgeries of life, even when we're feeling a bit under the weather. Paul says a reward is coming for those who serve God by serving others. And that reward, of course, is heaven with all its attendant glories. So advice for spirit-filled first century slaves and, I suggest, 21st century believers. Live and work respectfully, sincerely, conscientiously, pleasantly. And as I say, it's not difficult to carry that across from Paul's teaching here in respect of the home, to carry that across into our daily lives and certainly into our church lives. And then verse 9, just to complete this section, he speaks about conduct in the home for masters. And ye masters, he says, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening, knowing that your master also is in heaven, neither is there any respect of persons with him. You know, today, the golden rule of management, I'm told, and I believe it applies to Christian living, is bound up in this verse here. As I say, there's nothing new in Under the Sun, is there? It's as relevant today as it was when Paul wrote it. The golden rule is, ye masters do the same thing unto them. Do unto others as you would be done unto. It holds good, Paul says, for slaves, therefore it holds good for masters. In verse 21 we read about the divine order of mutual submission. Mutual submission between wives and husbands, parents and children, and now servants and masters. Paul says, Masters, if you want respect, show respect. If you want sincerity, show sincerity. If you want conscientiousness, be conscientious yourself. If you want pleasantness, be pleasant. Treat your servants, he says, in the same way as you want them to treat you. Show the same interest in them and their affairs as you want them to show in yours. This is what is being promoted today, I believe, in modern management. As I say, nothing new under the sun. There's this open door policy these days where employees are encouraged to come and speak to the owner of the business or the manager. It's all about treating each other equally, being able to speak to each other in the same way and about the same things. Paul says, this is what you should be doing, particularly if you are Christian masters. And I believe again that although he's speaking about the household here, it's not being too fanciful to carry that over into our everyday lives, our everyday experience outside of the home, and certainly into our church experience. You know, the best elders that you ever serve under are those who treat you as you would treat them. It's a two-way thing, and it works to the glory of God, no doubt about it at all, and to the smooth running of a fellowship. So the master or the employer, though he holds superior authority, he has to regard those who are under him as equal before God with himself. Why? Because God is the judge of both and no respecter of persons, Paul says. So those in authority must pay fair wages and give fair benefits. They must be concerned about the illness of those who are under their care. They must be concerned about their marriages, about their children, about the future prospects for these folks. You know, if anybody thinks that being an elder in a local church is easy, it's not. The standard is incredibly high. The standard for a Christian employer is incredibly high. Paul says, this is how you should conduct yourself as a master. So from chapter 4 to chapter 6, verse 9, Paul has laid out the way we should behave as Christians, particularly in our home, but as I say, it flows over to the wider life. And we would say, well, that's a very tall order, very tall order, living a Christian life at that particular level. But, you know, we have a tremendous advantage, don't we? It's made possible because we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And Paul says that is a tremendous benefit to you. He says, a Christian life well lived in the home will bring the grace of God to a lost world in a way that our words don't and cannot. That's the force of this passage here, I think. It's what you are speaks so loud the world can't hear what you say. We want to be those who people come and inquire of us why we live lives the way we do to give us the opportunity to point them to the Lord Jesus Christ. It's so easy for us to be worried, concerned, that we can't go and speak to people about the Lord Jesus Christ. I would find it very difficult to do what dear Colin does on Saturdays and sit there in the marketplace. But you know, I can, and I say it kindly Colin, I could have as much effect as Colin, but just by the way I live. And so often, so often, I know that people look at me and wonder, perhaps, is he really a Christian? Is he really a believer? It's a sobering thought, isn't it? I think this has been a wonderful passage to think about and to challenge us, and to encourage us, that if we're living lives that are in line with Paul's teaching here, we're living lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, And that is the important thing. That one day, we don't want to get to heaven, do we, and be told we were faithful, but we were lazy. We want to get that commendation, well done, good and faithful servant. Might it be so, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. Before we go to prayer, let's sing 706. Not an easy hymn to sing, but let's sing it.