If you would, turn in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 6. When we think of the great difficulties that can come upon us in this life, none of us face one that was common to believers during the first century. This common circumstance was the institution of slavery. which one person renders, as one put it, service, which is not a matter of choice for the one who renders it, which he has to perform, whether he likes or not, because he is subject as a slave to an alien will, to the will of his owner. To the modern way of thinking, we can imagine no worse situation we might find ourselves in than that in which we had no right of personal choice about conducting our lives. And yet, many who count themselves free are in far worse circumstance than those who, in any century, are slaves to others, if that one is without Christ. The Christian slave learned from the apostle of the Lord Jesus that even in what was considered the worst of human relationships, his savior was no less powerful or less concerned about church membership and personal holiness than any other human relationships that he already had addressed. These slaves served all kinds of masters with the knowledge I want to emphasize this, that their earthly status belied their union with Jesus, whom God had made head over all. A very simple statement. Head over all. An absolute statement. This is the one with whom they were in union. Their adoption into the family of the sovereign creator. their place among the saints of God who made up the one new man. Yes, earthly slaves. This was their true status. Christ redeemed them so that they would serve him by giving distinctively Christian service to their earthly masters. In their degradation, Christ exalted them. Under tyranny, Christ gave them true freedom. May God help us understand these things better today as we look at this text. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we come before you this morning and we must thank you for hearing the prayers of your people long before your son even came to this world. The psalm we have read together this morning, the prayer was recorded for us. Oh, send out your light and your truth. And beyond any man's imagination, you answered that prayer in sending your very own son. Messiah, to be the Redeemer of sinners, to be the Savior of sinners of every nation upon this earth, to take his place as the one to whom you have given all authority in heaven and earth. to give his word to the apostles, preserved by your spirit, so that we have the very words of the Lord Jesus Christ today as we read that which was written by the apostles. We thank you, Father, for hearing those prayers. We know it was Your grace that provoked them. It was Your grace that caused them to be prayed. And it was Your grace that answered them. Your grace in which we stand today, that we count the message of the gospel as answers to those prayers, that we enjoy the fruit of today even more than our brothers and sisters who prayed them long ago. Father, we come before you today asking that once again, now under Christ and all the power of the Spirit of God, that you would send out your light and your truth in the preaching of your Word. We still wrestle, as the psalmist did, with circumstances that grieve us, that cause us to mourn. We have some in our own membership, Father, that you know are dealing with very difficult circumstances. Circumstances that involve health and finances. Father, we pray for them that their faith fail not. The evil one would be banished in the power of Christ. Christ would be remembered. He suffered greater contradiction and greater difficulty than any of us will ever face. And he did that freely and willingly that he might become our Savior. that we might become the people of God. As your people, we come before you today asking for their strengthening, asking for our strengthening in the faith, asking that your Word will nourish us and strengthen us. And though we may be convicted of our sins as we read it and it's preached, Father, we ask you to renew us to repentance and hope in Christ, to the life that you have called us to, to be lived for Him with that goal set before us. That come what may in this life, heaven lies before us, secured by our Savior, the Lord Jesus, for all those who believe and rest in Him and obey Him. Our Father in Heaven grants strength as needed, instruction as needed, repentance as needed, refreshment, the knowledge that our Savior has shed His blood and borne our sins by His grace Your Spirit has returned us to Him. May we be strengthened in Him today. We pray in His name. Amen. We come to this text today in Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 5. A text that would be difficult, I think, for many in this world. A text taken out of its context would be, I think, completely incomprehensible. Bonservants is the word that starts with slaves. This is whom Paul addressed at this point. He next, in his dealing with the various people in the church, gave distinctively Christian imperatives to this specific group of people who were members of the congregation at Ephesus. Bonservants. Be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh. These were, and let's don't pare it down at all, these were slaves. When you read some of the commentaries, they try to indicate that this may have just referred to those who were hired out. No, this refers to those who were in bondage to others. Men and women and children taken captive in wars often. Removed from their families and their native place. forced to serve others at the will of another, at the whims and place of another, doing whatever tasks were required of them. They were young and old, married and single, all in some way bereaved. Many were likely very poor, although a slave might gain some economic advantage over his peers. I'll say this, that when compared to slaves in other places and times who were usually mistreated and used like animals and had no opportunity to gain freedom, things have changed a little bit by the first century in Rome. So that slaves, comparatively speaking, and I want to emphasize this, comparatively speaking, fared better than some others. If he did not have one, he was sometimes taught a skill for the profit of his master. He was fed and clothed and housed, usually in his master's home. He was not free in the sense of the word that we think of it. He may have, though, at times received even some spending money. Things had changed, and I think in the providence of God, There were changes that had already been set in place that would bear fruit in two or three centuries that were nothing less than amazing. And while Roman slavery was still enslavement, a slave may have had opportunity to perform extra labor, save up some money and purchase his freedom. This was an unusual development. But often that was encouraged. There's evidence of that in history and archaeology. Sometimes a slave may even have fared better than a very poor freeman because of the circumstances he found himself in. In the church, this is very important to keep in mind, these slaves, even though there were distinctions of one socioeconomic group in comparison to another, that was no longer the most prominent characteristic of their relationship. Slaves were accepted as fellow saints. These are the ones that Paul next addressed. By this point in the letter, these slaves had received with the congregation several instructions concerning other relationships. He or she had been addressed as a church member, that overarching relationship of every disciple of Christ. We must not fail to see that there was an uplifting in ways of the dignity of a slave in this. As he walked into the congregation, as he came and gathered as he could with God's people for worship, He knew himself to be a brother or she a sister in the congregation. But they'd also received instruction here respectively as a wife or a husband or as a child, singles being included generally. But part of the congregation received the instruction just like any other member of the congregation. And so they have this section then addressed in particular to them. So we see who the apostle addressed, and now we must think of what did Christ by the apostle then require of them? Let's read the text. Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh. With fear and trembling. In sincerity of heart, ask of Christ. Not with I-service as men-pleasers, but as bond-servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men. And we'll come to verse 8 a little bit later, but under two particular parts here, let me address this. First of all, Paul required that they submit themselves to the authority of their own earthly masters. I appreciate the way Pastor Downs brought out this morning. One who is delivered by Christ might have temptations to presumptuous thoughts. We're here very plainly and clearly confronted. was still in that position as a slave and he is called in that position to be obedient, the text says, to subject himself to what that Christian faith accomplishes within the heart of all who practice it, Hendrickson said, with fear and trembucie. This was a radical change, a dramatic change, a profound change that had to have great effects. on the whole household, the slave that came to perform his duties with this. He says, secondly, in sincerity of heart, in other words, a single hearted devotion, a whole heartedness, a focused perspective concentrating on his master's will with an individual, excuse me, with an undivided mind that yielded generosity and liberality and integrity and uprightness. Sincerity of heart. This brought the idea of motive into the relationship and responsibilities. In other words, instead of thinking how he might avoid work or even might harm his master, now the slave would come with this kind of question. Am I doing the best work in the best way for the sake of pleasing my master? The double concept there, an earthly master and his heavenly master. Am I giving myself utterly to the task my master has given me? It's meant that he must forsake his own interest. He must at all times have his master's interest foremost in his thinking. May I say this, and this helps us understand how great this change was. This was impossible without knowing on an ongoing basis the one who had done much the same for him in coming. losing his life for the will of the Father and freely giving himself on the cross the salvation of this slave. And so these words that Paul used and framed a description for him of how he was to go at his work as a slave were set in. And we'll talk about that in a few moments. This concept that there was the Savior who had done this. for the slave already. He says thirdly, not with eye service as men pleasers. Here he began to really press in addressing the conscience. Not with eye service as men pleasers. That word leaps off the page at us in ways as a call to repentance. That in fact, doing one's work with eye service as a men pleaser, was disobedience to the Savior. It's a call to repentance in the depths of one's soul. Paul prohibited here service rendered merely for the sake of impressing, possibly deceiving others, usually the master. He comes and, you know, all of a sudden there's a great diligence and hurriedness of work and labor. He leaves and They go back to indolence and betrayal, deception. Lazy when not washed, busy when washed, or diligent strictly for earthly gain. Could have been that some of these slaves were actual stewards of the household, looking out in an unbelieving state for how they might bring, at the expense of others, Comfort. And they're called here to realign their thinking, to think of themselves before Christ. Paul here rebuked work even of a good quality done not for the Lord, but for the advance of himself in some way to other men. Or work that may be acceptable to men, but was done in the expense of the Lord or the word or of his church. not with eye-services, men-pleasers. And then, fourthly, doing the will of God. Here was an objective command to be followed by all who claim to be a worshipper of the Lord Jesus, although enslaved. Another radical change of thinking. The slave, in his service, whatever it may be, to his earthly master, that service was the desire and the requirement of the Creator and the Lord of all. It was the will of God. God's authority is the authority over him as a slave. And he labored and he worked and he went to his task with that kind of thinking, a changed thinking. This is the antidote for shoddy service. And in this, the most humdrum job, one has said, becomes a vocation when it is looked upon as the doing of God's will. Paul turned their labor into a calling and a gifting of God. With this phrase, it was very clear to the slave there at the Church of Ephesus. that God's sovereign providence was at work and where he found himself, in which family he found himself in, among whom he found himself laboring. God's sovereign providence was brought to bear in their enslavement. They were in the position and the place of God's choosing, put there to do His bidding, just as Christ had done for them. This is the will of God, not with eye service as men pleasers, but as bond service of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. And fifthly, from the heart with goodwill, literally out of a soul, the depths of one's being heartily, with the intention of goodwill and eagerness and zeal, with a ready mind, even cheerfully is the concept here. He was to put his whole soul into his job. We'll get to in a moment as to Christ. Here was another distinctively Christian characteristic. It's repugnant to the sinful mind to think of giving oneself wholly and cheerfully with the intention of good. To another who owns. He must do his work. As he would do work that he really wants to do, that's the idea that you see that in yourself to help you understand what was going on in the minds of these slaves, they sat there and they heard this letter read and later, as they heard their pastors expound and apply these things to them, they would have thought they would know the difference just like you would. You know what it's like to go at work that you don't want to do, as opposed to work that you look forward to and you want to do. That's something of the idea here. There was to be this change of thinking. That he would go to the work that he was called to as a slave. As he would go to work that he really wanted to do. There's a rebuke here of doubting and of rebellion. Having thought about it, he was to go to his work as a disciple of the one who had given his life for him. He was to go to his work as one who had been made alive in Christ. He was to go to this that would be repugnant to us, repugnant to anyone, with goodwill from the heart. And then he says sixthly, as to Christ. As you notice here, we just read in verse six, as bondservants, as slaves of Christ. You hear Paul's greeting that he gave at times in an epistle to the churches. He referred to himself. It's a bondservant of Christ. Surely this was encouraging to these slaves. They knew that Paul thought of himself in this way. And here Paul is saying that they were to think of themselves as to Christ, slaves of Christ, as to the Lord. This was the basis for everything he's saying here. This brought Christ's identity as the redeeming Savior into application in the lives of these who were considered the lowest in society's order. These slaves of men were, in truth, what the text says, slaves of Christ. And so we all find ourselves described. If he would freely submit himself, the Lord, to the ignominy of the cross, to purchase them to himself, they could, because of that, follow him even in their slavery to another sinner. That's the idea. As to Christ, as slaves of Christ, as to the Lord. This also brought Christ's identity as the sovereign ruler over all into application to them, teaching them to count themselves under His rule and in His service in their earthly lives as to Christ, the redeeming Savior, as to Christ, the sovereign ruler. Thus they learned in the apostles' instruction where their true safety and their true liberty lay. They had seen Possibly, a fellow slave, maybe who had been enslaved in a household before them, labored and saved their money and maybe purchased their freedom, but still enslaved to their sin and their bitterness. And these slaves could think to themselves that in Christ, as they did their service to Christ, As they were slaves of Christ, they were safe. And they had a liberty no man could touch. He was their ultimate provider. He was their ultimate protector. The very one who secured grace and peace before the Father. The Lord Jesus Christ is their master. You can see how this would lift them and strengthen them. What we would think was an unbearable situation. Now we must go on. Who he addressed. What he required of them. We must not forget, thirdly, what is the setting for these imperatives. Paul would not have them think of themselves as slaves of another human without thinking always of their position in Christ's kingdom and church. In other words, this was an ongoing habit that Paul would have had them develop. Thinking of their position in Christ's kingdom and church. All that he had taught them about every spiritual blessing in Christ from chapter one was in no way made less by their position in society. Think of that. Could there have been a more profound shift in a person's thinking? I may be the lowest on the rung of classes in my society, but I have every spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ. That's how they were to think. Consider the unbelieving slave and the believing slave laboring side by side, but occupied with entirely different thoughts. One with bitterness, another with gratitude. One with rebellion and another with contentment. I have every blessing secured to me by the Lord God of heaven and earth in Trinitarian salvation. One self-serving and the other self-sacrificing. Because he was secure in Christ, he followed Christ. A slave, just like every other church member, was transported in his thinking above his earthly life to a place outside his earthly life that had fully integrated itself into his earthly life. Now, think about that for a moment. He was transported in his thinking above his earthly life to a place outside his earthly life that had fully integrated itself into his earthly life. He was elected to salvation. He was predestined to adoption. He was sealed unto glory. He existed for the praise of the glory of God and God's grace. He had been resurrected from spiritual death, removed from the kingdom of disobedience and wrath, set in the heaven of God Almighty with Christ, an exhibitor of divine and loving grace, made an essential part of the gathered people of God who were God's own dwelling place. That was the setting of his slavery. It had to transform every way he thought of everything he was involved with. That was his position in Christ's kingdom, in Christ's church, and that was integrated into every aspect of his thinking and performing of his duties. In this setting, what was the motive for fulfilling these duties? Slaves were moved by nothing less than what we've talked about before. The greatness of the creator God revealed to us in chapter one. The greatness of his wonderful and gracious salvation shaped for us in chapters one and two. And the greatness of the goal for that grace revealed to us in chapter three. These were all his. These were motives just like they were motives for husbands and loving their wives and wives and submitting to their husbands and children and submitting to their parents and parents and how they cared for and raised their children. This means that the slave received these very words that we are reading in the context. Of the crucifixion of Jesus, in the context of the death of the Son of God on their behalf, in the context of the reconciling sacrifice that Christ had made to bring men and women of all nations, as he says in chapter 2, into one new man, brought safely, peacefully into the very presence of God. That moved them. That gave them reason These indicatives and imperatives caused them to wake every morning to their slavery with rest in the truth. Can you imagine that? It would require some discipline of thinking, wouldn't it? It would require them to take the words of the apostle and submit their minds to these words. It would require them to contradict normal ways, intuitive ways of thinking, replace them. But the words of the Lord Jesus given by the apostle so that they would wake each morning to their slavery with rest in the truth that they were eternally bound to Christ, members of His commonwealth and of His people, members of the very household of God, the eternal household. This was gospel motive for evangelical obedience, even for a slave who was the purchased possession. of another sinful human being. To these motives, the apostle added the word of the Savior that we read in verse 8, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord. This gave him greater motive. Paul taught these who lived in very difficult circumstances not to labor only for the benefit held out to them by their earthly masters, but to labor foremost for the good that Jesus Christ in His grace would bestow upon them in the final day." Everything about this caused him to think this is temporary. At worst, this is brief. And I will see Christ with all my brothers and sisters. The day will come. Earthly slavery will end. Paul meant to give them truth that would free them from bitterness, self-seeking, short-term planning and give them reason to be confident in the one who died to secure them as his own possession forever and ever. In this setting, He found reason to obey. He found motive to obey. And in this setting, let me say lastly, in this setting, what was the goal for faithfully observing these imperatives with their masters in the way that Paul described? What was the goal that was set before them? It was the same goal that was set before the rest of the church members. The same goal that by the gracious Spirit is set before you and I today. To manifest the glory of God's saving wisdom and majesty. Think of the master who watched such a slave. Who approached his labors as Paul has described here who has changed from his surly, grudging service to this kind of service. Think of what's going on in the Master who watched this, who maybe had seen the change even come about. Do you not hear the words of our Savior? Let your light so shine before men that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. He may never dare to open his mouth, but the master would see something that only the grace of God and sovereign power could accomplish. And I'm sure some reacted with harshness. Well, I'll show him. You can just see that kind of thing. Others were impressed. They wanted the same for all their slaves because, you know what, their profits were going to increase. Still others began to reconsider Christianity, maybe softened in their tone. And yet others went to hear this message that wrought such changes. What believed? What truth believed? What promises believed? What doctrine believed could accomplish such things? Listen, there were no neutral Responses to God's grace displayed in a Christian slave. God was glorified in these things according to his will. I plan to next week go to verse 9 and we'll bring out some more applications out all of these things for us. But let me just mention real quickly in closing just a few applications. Notice that he says here in verse 8, the reward was promised. whether he is slave, a slave or free. It becomes at this phrase somewhat of reasoning from the lesser to the greater. If the lesser is to be encouraged with these things, if the lesser is to behave this way, certainly the greater is. So we just say a few things to those of us who are 21st century freemen. First of all, Christ's grace in your life will permeate every aspect of your living, just like it did a slave. How you treat people, how you love people, how you work for people. Grace works discipleship into everything you do. Work with it. Be diligent at it. Take these things that were laid out for these slaves. Examine yourself by them. Here we find the description of the character of all Christian service and labor. Can I say to you, I don't think this is exaggerating, this thing, these things that Paul laid out for these slaves changed the world. They changed the Roman world. They gave birth in many ways to what we know as the Western culture world. As Christians sought to bring their labor in conformity to their master, no matter where they labored, no matter what they labored in. So we are called to the same labor that is directed by Christ. and one's relationship to Christ that will point those outside of Christ to his presence in this world. People ought to watch us and similar as they did with the apostles, take note that we have been listening to Jesus. We rest in his merits, we rest in his saving work, and because of that, We find reason to follow His example and the words of His apostles, because we have such a great Savior. Another thing here, the instruction here applies to all who know Christ's saving grace, who are in positions of submission to another. You may be a citizen. You may be an employee. You may be a volunteer in some organization. You may be a wife, a child, a student, church members and deacons. and elders. In a way, and I'll try to develop this more later, this was not meant to be something that the slaves sat there in the congregation hearing these things and thought to themselves individually, I've got to go at this. This was to be fulfilled There was impressed in these words upon the slave, and ought to be impressed upon us, that we go at these things as a congregation, as church members together, so that one who is matured does not look at himself as having in some way finished or arrived. But he looks at himself as one who must help and labor for his other fellow church members to continue in their maturing and encouraging one another. So the slaves sat there in the congregation and not, they weren't just thinking about themselves, they were thinking about themselves more as members together. And then all the members, can you imagine, sitting in that congregation, there were masters and slaves both. Everybody's thinking is being changed because now there's a corporate gathering of disciples of Jesus Christ who are going at this work described by the disciple together. Yes, there are individual aspects to it. but they go at it together. We need to think about this. We've got to be creative and develop this more. Reclaim some of this that I think we've lost. Let me say one last thing. Paul relied on the otherworldliness of the Christian perspective and would have us do the same. He says here, whether slave or free, whether you find yourself in very difficult circumstances or you find yourself in more favorable circumstances. For either one, there's an otherworldliness here. You may not advance here. You may be abused and harmed here. You may be downtrodden or without obvious dignity here. But that is not what is most important and does not matter beyond this brief life. The word to slaves is a word to we who sit here this morning, to you and to me. In Christ is your life. If you suffer as he did, and you believe as he did and remain obedient as he did, you show that beforehand you had become a child of the heavenly ruler of all. That's where you find your position and your status and your hope and your comfort is in Christ. In a way, you're going through this life as a slave did then incognito. You don't appear to be what you are. Do you labor here? Because you are waiting His time for your exaltation. And if you don't receive it here, you count yourself as participating in the sufferings of your Savior. As He suffered the contradiction of sinners for the glory of God. So you find to suffer the contradiction of sinners, the afflictions of providence for the glory of God. I hope these slaves that receive this instruction will encourage you as you live through it.