Ephesians chapter 6, verses 5-9. Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as to Christ. Not by way of eye service, as men do, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Goodwill renders service as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality. Heavenly Father, thank you once again for this marvelous time of investment. May you utterly, by means of the relationship that you have with us, may there be an utter transformation in our relationship with everyone else. We proclaim your excellency's bold mind with words and also by behavior in that speech. May our motivations be correct and proper. This is fitting for those who are proclaiming that. Well, we come this morning to the last of the specific illustrations that are given by way of application of what it means to walk in wisdom, and even further, in what is pictured by someone who has been filled by the spirits. We've already noticed the change that's been affected within the marriage relationship, husbands and wives. We've also already looked at the parenting relationship of children and parents. Today, we look at one further relationship, that of the Holy Spirit working on the relationship within the workplace. It's quite interesting to notice that the form of Paul's instructions is much in keeping with the form of the writings of several authors of his day and age that wrote specifically on what was called the household codes. Paul was not alone in addressing husbands and wives and children and parents and masters and slaves. There had been several before Paul who had addressed these very issues. For that reason, it's not an unusual subject that Paul is handling. Well, what surely is unusual, and particularly interesting for us, is both the content of what Paul has to say for his instructions, as well as the method of his address. Because these stand in stark contrast with the writings of those who are writing in his day and age. In particular, what's particularly interesting to me, is that when he addresses husbands and fathers, his address to both of these, to this position of leadership or authority within the family unit, is in stark opposition to the Roman societal norms. Paul exhorts men not to lead in a domineering manner over their lives, but instead by demonstrating a sacrificial love. In talking about a father's discipline and instruction of his children, it's given in language of nurture and care. They're told not to exasperate their children or provoke them to wrath, but to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. So the content that's given to the person who's in leadership is surely against the cultural norms. Remember, in that day and age, the Roman father, who was the father and husband and also master who'd be pictured in this household, reigned supreme. There was hardly a check at all on his authority. And so the content of these instructions that are given to the position of authority are quite in contrast to the day and age that Paul wrote. Also, though, this ought not be overlooked. It is interesting that Paul not only gives some interesting content to the position of authority, but he calls upon the position that is in subjection or submission. He addresses them directly, and this is utterly true. You see, in that day and age, you address the person in authority. And so when these household codes were written, the man of the house was addressed, and he was instructed as to how to instruct those under him. What's interesting here is that Paul addresses the person in submission in each of these cases, and does it first off. He addresses wives in particular, he addresses children in particular, and here he addresses slaves in particular. By doing this, we see the overtones of equality and right that are present. You see, he addresses the person who's in submission as one who is able by God's grace and gift to act in a way that pleases the Lord. They're addressed as free moral agents who can choose to please the Lord in their submission to the delegated agents of authority that God has put over them. And if that overtone of equality hadn't already been set, this final section surely doesn't. Many people go, well, obviously, wives and husbands are equal, and we should see children as, in some sense or form, equal with their parents. But here we talk about a particular set of people that, back even in those days, or as one Roman writer described them, slaves particularly were described as just one more type of tool to be used by a household. They describe all tools in three categories. The articulate, the inarticulate, and the mute. The articulate were slaves, people who could speak. They were referred to as tools to be used. The second, the inarticulate group were cattle, hewits, animals. And then the mute group is the utensils, the hoe, the plow, these sorts of things. It's interesting that in a day and age where slaves who are afforded hardly a right or privilege in the world. Paul addresses them as people who are to be given respect and honor, as people who are in Gaza or other places. So interestingly, for our discussion, being in a position of submissions by no means stripped you of your ability to do works for the Lord that matter. but instead provide an opportunity to demonstrate submissions of the Lord by submitting to these lesser authorities. You see, this is all trying to picture his previous comment made up above, submit to one another in the fear of Christ. So he's picturing these arenas of submission, and saying as you submit to these lesser authorities, you do that out of an honor of respect for Jesus Christ. You see, slaves in particular, I love the way that the book of Titus describes. Let's turn there real quick to Titus chapter 2. Titus chapter 2. This is said so well in Titus chapter 2, describing the unique privilege that slaves have in honoring God. Listen. Titus chapter 2, starting in verse 9. Urge bond slaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative. not pilfering, but showing all good faith," listen to this phrase, "...so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect." Isn't that neat? That they would adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect. Verse 11, "...for the grace of God has appeared," bringing salvation to who? All men. the irregardless of social standing, all men. Verse 12, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous I love how contextually he moved right from instructions to slaves, and then adorning the doctrine of God, right into describing our common salvation. Christ Jesus gave himself for us, whether free or slave. For what reason that we would then be in his own possession? Tell us. Salvation has been brought home, regardless of their social status or their position. The slaves in particular here have a God-given opportunity to adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior, in heaven with that. This is what I love about this. The position that might have been viewed as the most insignificant, is given opportunity to walk through the door of the doctrine of God. For just a moment, think about the obligation of this. No matter what your age, no matter what your influence, no matter what your position, whatever your social standing, guess what? You have a tremendous opportunity. They worship the Lord like angels do before the Lord, and they are zealous for good things. He pictures his fullest of world visions in their society, and they stand before the Lord and die. These developments of Satan's are commonplace to other household clothes that he chooses. You see, every position in life, no matter how small or insignificant, has value. I'd like to begin this morning by quickly discussing three issues that I'd like to discuss. we come to mind as I contemplate the overarching elements of this text. The sermon is actually somewhat short, and the introduction is somewhat long. But I think that these three introductory thoughts will help us focus upon some of the issues that are at stake here. as well as help us then eventually focus on the behavior and motivation that slaves have to do all the work. So here's my three-fold thing I'd like to talk about. First of all, I'd like to remind us all that work, contemplate work, that work in and of itself is not bad. Work in and of itself is not bad. Some mistakenly have believed that before, that work was the result of a flaw. That as a result of sin, work came into the world. Well, we definitely see that there was a punishment leveled by God on Adam for his disobedience, and we see it in Genesis 3. Well, actually, I don't think it's in Genesis 3. Genesis 3, verse 7 and 8 and 9, you can see what God said to Adam. Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat from it. Curse is the ground because of you. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles shall grow for you, and you will eat the plant of the field by the sweat of your face." Interestingly here, the word face also translated there, nose. Why I point it out is because it pictures a worker in the field. Have you ever been out in your garden or working outside in the heat, especially in the cold summer, and do one of these? Now, where does that sweat bleed to? Right off the nose. It comes right to the nose, and it pictures an individual under extreme labor, and the sweat pouring off his nose as he's over there. It says there, by the sweat of your face or nose, you will be bread. Until you return to the ground, you will just rummage and you will be taken. You are dust, and dust shall return. You see, the consequence of a fall was to make the nature of man's work more vigorous. Why? Because God cursed the ground. What happened as a result of the curse? Thorns and thistles grew up all over the face of the ground. And as a result of this, Man's work became more vigorous, more laborious, we might describe that as, more tedious. And the punishment came in the form of increased pain in planting and harvesting food. But previous to this, man had already been given responsibility. He'd already been given work, far before the fall had ever been introduced. Remember, man was first told to fill subdued and rule the earth, in Genesis 1.8. Along with the specific duty of cultivating and caring for the Garden of Eden, as we see in Genesis 2.5. Listen to this right there. No shrub of the field was yet in the earth, no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. There's no man to cultivate the ground. So the Lord then, it tells us, creates and fashions the Garden of Eden and puts the man into that garden. And when he does, listen to what he says, Genesis 2-15, the Lord God took the man, put him into the Garden of Eden, what? To cultivate it and keep it. See this? Before the fall occurs, what's already happened? Work has been given to man. And by this very nature, the point is this, work should not be seen as a curse, but a blessing. Work is a blessing to God. Now, sin has merely introduced increased pain in work, but work in and of itself is not evil. It's good. You see, we live in a day and age where we've sought after advancements, technological advancements, right, which told us things of art. I think of myself growing up out in the country for some number of years. I didn't see too many guys out there behind a plow, sweating by drips of sweat coming off their nose. I didn't see that. What I saw instead was huge barns filled with air-conditioned John Deere tractors. That's what I saw. I saw a lot of guys driving around in their nice air-conditioned tractors. That doesn't seem like much And we might not say that that, in and of itself, is a bad thing, either. There was work involved in developing those systems. They would work properly. And I know that several of these farmers end up spending their off-season repairing this equipment. It's broken down. It needs to be still worked upon. There's still work going on. But here's the problem. To seek advancements to help us in these regards is not a problem. But to seek a situation in which hard work is replaced with idleness is sinful. If we try to strip hard work from man, it's a sinful endeavor. Work is something that's inherent to what we ought to be doing. We've been given a command from the Lord to work hard, to be diligent. There's countless verses that talk about the sinfulness of idleness and laziness. Let me list just a couple. Let me list one. Proverbs 10, 26. Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy one to those who send in." Right? Like, vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eye is the lazy one to those who send in. The New Testament speaks so clearly about the essential nature of a man working. 2 Thessalonians 3.10 explains, listen, for even when we were with you, we used to give you this order, if anyone is not willing to work, what? Then he is not to eat either. Do you see this? Do you see that desire? Those hunger pains are put there by God to do what? To encourage us to work. If you're not willing to work, you ought not eat either. You see, there's tremendous satisfaction in a job well done that's done with right motives. I like the way that Millard Erickson says it. The exercise of dominion was part of God's original intention for humanity. It preceded the Paul. Work, then, is not a curse, but part of God's good plan. The basis for the work ethic is to be found in the very nature of what God created us to be. And may I go so far as to add to this description that Erickson says here, that it's even the very nature or part of what it means to have the image of God invested in us. You see, God himself is one who works, right? God himself is one who works, and he finds delight in all he does. Isn't it interesting in the creation account that after God creates these things, what does he say after each of those states? It is good, right? He finds satisfaction in the works that he does. I know Sandy commented on this the other day, I think with the ladies here at the school, the appreciation grudge, and I was talking to my father just the other day, and he commented on a very similar comment It's interesting to see all the things that God has created that man isn't even aware of. Right? Things like the penguins, right Candy? That have gone on for long periods of time and no one is even aware of this process that's been going on for years and years and years. Why didn't God do it? Why was this happening over all these years? Because it pleased Him. He took great pleasure in the work that He did. I was sitting outside in my garden just yesterday. I was looking at these little flowers He planted. And there's brilliant little colors on these little flowers. Why? Why? I'm looking at it like, God? They delighted God to create things in this way. So what's wonderful in being part of His creation is He has given us the privilege of working also, of following Him and doing His work. You see, we ought to diligently work for the Lord using the days that He's granted us for His glory. And we then need to develop a good work ethic and then pass that on to our children. I know in talking with, or listening to employers, they are one of their greatest ethic users. Because they just don't know how to work hard. And it's a sad thing, I'll say this too, right Justin? It's a sad thing in our day and age when there's so many young men who are approaching the pastorate thinking it's an easy way out. What a horrible thing when our whole society is built upon the premise that let's try to cut corners, let's try to just make it the easy way, instead of doing a job well. More about that in a few minutes. Secondly, let me comment on this point. There have been several modern interpreters that have criticized the text that we're looking at at this point. because it lacks a call for the abolition of slavery. Many have looked at this passage and said, there is just something wrong with this text. Jesus is not calling for slaves to get out of the situation, for masters to free your slaves. There's none of those commands given here. As a result, it's been under severe criticism by many modern interpreters. I want to comment on that. We have to remember that there are surely, first of all, significant differences between the practice of slavery then and the practice of slavery that we're most familiar with as it approached the New World, or America. First of all, rather than being something that was due to merely color or race, slavery was widespread and encountered every race of people. Most often, one became a slave due to one of three situations. First of all, if you lost in war, and you became a prisoner of war, most often you were then enslaved to the winner of that conflict. Secondly, you could become a slave by becoming indebted, and having to sell yourself into slavery in order to get out of that debt. You couldn't just file away and that's it. Thirdly, It could happen by being born into a slave's family. Those who were born as slaves, a family of slaves, another master, those children became slaves themselves. Now, I also want to mention to you that there was even some in that day and age that became slaves, purposefully, to increase their living conditions, to improve their living conditions. It was a well-known thing in that day and age that there were several people that, in seeking social advancement, would go into slavery to get themselves into a house that would have a lot of advancement. Slaves were used for tutoring children. They were given educations. They were given all the tools needed in order for themselves to be the best tool for the master. And as a result, we had every sort of profession was modeled in slaves of that day and age. Also, it should be mentioned that slaves could eventually become free as well. There were plans in which they could enact their own freedoms. It was called manumission, and they could actually go through processes. That doesn't mean that every master went along with it, but there were several that actually went through the whole process and became free men, free men themselves. Also, I want to remind you that slavery here was no new invention, long established. Remember, Israel itself was once enslaved in Egypt. And while the Old and the New Testaments nowhere prohibit slavery, the instructions that are given therein are such that would dramatically transform the establishment. And that's a point that needs to be made very clearly and very seriously. Now, I also remind you that the practice of slavery was so prevalent in that culture that by some estimates, one-third of the population were slaves. One-third of the population were slaves. For this reason, many said that even commenting on the practice was just almost a lie. I mean, it was so widespread, it was so commonplace. As I said, while nowhere does the Bible explicitly contend with the practice of slavery, it surely warns of cunning judgment for those masters who exercise improper forms of authority over their slaves. As a matter of fact, even in the Old Testament, there's specific mention made that you couldn't enslave someone through kidnapping. That was illegal. That was condemned. So, with all that kind of a little bit of the basis, let me also just mention this on the slide. This situation is similar to what the Bible speaks, or doesn't speak, about forms of government. We live in a country today that eats, drinks, and breathes democracy, don't we? And for anyone to speak against democracy, you're sure to have some problems. Let me just say this quickly. Anyway, here we go. Here's the point. We live in a country that speaks of democracy as if it was the only right way to do government. And while we surely enjoy wonderful privileges via this form of government, and I'm glad we have a democracy on multiple levels, we must remember that the Bible does not attack other forms of government as inherently sinful. It does not explicitly say that we ought to have a democracy. As a matter of fact, if I could go so far as to say this, I think the best form of government would be an utter dictatorship. where you have a supremely loving and just ruler. And guess what? That sort of thing is coming, isn't it? The Lord Jesus Christ will reign. And guess what? It's not going to be a democracy. It's not up for votes. It's not about what the people think. It's about what the Lord thinks. And He will reign supremely. Now, having said all of that, before I get into too much trouble here, because being seen as a communist is something of this nature, let me just say this. The reason why we support things like democracy is, in large portion, due to the following reason. It's because we want to protect ourselves from abuses of power. Because, in general, the man who rules seemingly like that, in general, is prone towards failure. And, as a result, it causes all sorts of problems in this city throughout our days and ages. But, having said all of that, If there was ever a time when this practice could be spoken out against, it was during the life of Jesus. But do we see him doing it? Quite the opposite. His thing is, give to Caesar what is Caesar's. Give to God what is God's. So in this respect, there's a similar point that can be made regarding the issue of slavery in forms of governments. Let me say this. The Bible is not so much concerned with being an instrument for societal change, as it is with calling men and women as individuals to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, regardless of their social position and regardless of the form of government that they're existing underneath. It is an individual's relationship with Christ that is of foremost concern. Because you can set up any societal government you want, you can give anybody the social position you desire, but if their hearts are wicked, they'll do wicked things. Meanwhile, the man who's been given a new heart and desired righteousness will do things of purity and goodness in even the most wicked of situations. You see, a Christian ought to invest their time, energy, and resources in living a thoroughly Christ-like way in whatever situation he or she finds himself in. It's only through the transformation of individuals that then might bring about a transformation of society. But it's not the reverse way. The Bible is not a book of, let's transform society and therefore impact individuals. No. Transform the individuals and guess what will happen eventually? If everyone gets saved, we truly will be a Christian nation. Apart from that, we won't be. You see, it all comes down to the fact of the matter that the root problem is not, our root problem is not political. Our root problem is not social. Our root problem is not economic. Our root problem is spiritual. That's our root problem, and that's the root of the issue, and therefore that's what the Bible asks. We can sit around pulling off the little pops of weed that are in our garden, right? But what happens? We go right on back. What do we got to do? Get to the root of the problem. You remove the root of the problem, then the weed is gone. Similarly, in this case, we approach the heart of man. And the heart of man is transformed by the grace of God. And so will everything. You see, Christianity has never promised release from present circumstances. It's never promised that your life here on this earth is going to be a wonderful thing. As a matter of fact, it does quite the opposite, doesn't it? It says, following Christ in this world is going to ensure that there will be persecution and suffering. Instead, Christianity promises the power by God's grace to endure circumstances for God's glory. To look forward to our eventual homecoming. I think some of us have become too comfortable with this world. It's going along with the things in this world. If we were living starkly for Christ, there would be an increasing longing for Him, because we realize our self-revealance in this place. You see, the stress of this passage exhorts appropriate duty within the established relationships. It explains how a man who is spiritually freed is to still live under physical slavery. And this would be an important point that Paul's trying to make, because it could be very easy for those who have been freed spiritually to say, now we ought to rebel and get our physical freedom as well. Paul says, no, no, no, no, no. Your spiritual freedom now, this is how it's changed it. It's transformed the way you behave under that slavery, that physical one. So in the opening, you're a slave to the fox. You show Christ-likeness in the midst of a wicked system. You show Christ-likeness in the midst of circumstances that aren't necessarily all you would have wished them to be. Now, having said all that, this is not to say that the Bible does not provide principles whereby the abolition of slavery was and is effective. While the Bible doesn't abolish the practice of slavery, there is nothing biblically that supports slavery as a practice that is to be continued indefinitely either. It speaks of it as something that's in place. And it's how you ought to live, under a system that's in place. We've seen in history, and those of you who have seen Amazing Grace, a movie that just came out recently. You got to see Wilberforce, right? And John Newton in that movie. There are other spokesmen who are not against slavery in England, as well as in America. Having said that, we've seen that in history, those who fought for freedom of slaves did so in large measure due to biblical convictions. On what basis? That all men were created in God's image, and therefore ought to receive honor and respect that's due them. They ought not be treated as mere property, and surely the abuse of slaves especially in more contemporary times, means to be dealt with. Certainly, this passage dramatically transforms the institution, even if it doesn't abolish it. That's the point. If things were done biblically in this regard, all I've got to say is that your conditions under slavery might be better than your condition at work today. If this was done right. The balance, by the way, is addressed specifically in 1 Corinthians 7, where in a passage that he's otherwise talking about marriage and all sorts of things, he uses as one of his illustrations, or by way of analogy, he talks about slaves and freemen. Listen to this. 1 Corinthians 7, verses 20 and 21. Each man must remain in that condition in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it. You see this? Don't fret and struggle against your physical slavery. But if you were able also to become free, rather do that. Good. They're saying, don't make it your life pursuit to pursue freedom physically. You've been given a much more precious gift. Freedom spiritually. But meanwhile, if you're given the opportunity to have physical freedom, by all means do it. See the balance there? In other words, the life pursuit of a Christian is not freedom physically, but freedom spiritually. I think sometimes we've allowed a little bit too much of nationalism to come in and crowd out that understanding. And to lose the distinction, spiritual freedom is a far trunk car over any national or social freedom. It's not to say that these aren't to be valued, but it is to say that they're not to be valued in comparison to spiritual freedom. You see, it's our testimony for Christ to be treasured above all things. A slave's submission, even to a wretched master, serves God's purposes. We had it read in 1 Peter this morning, right? Even under harsh masters, submit! That's the command. Why? Because it's their testimony for Christ that is far more excellent than them experiencing temporal conditions. And eternally, that's why. It's a wonderful place to go to. The book of Philemon also is another book that speaks to this very issue. Remember, Paul writes to Philemon on behalf of, how do I say the guy's name? Onesimus? Onesimus? How are you going to say it? I'd say Onesimus. But anyway, he writes on behalf of Onesimus, a runaway slave. Paul's come in contact with this runaway slave, Onesimus. He writes a letter to Philemon, who's Onesimus' master, and sends Onesimus back to him. And in this says, he's been a huge help to me. He's been a huge blessing to me. As a matter of fact, he's become a brother in Christ. And he addresses Philemon and says, treat him as such. There's something even better now about your relationship. He's not only your slave, he's now your brother in Christ. Can you imagine these words being written and read in the church congregation? A congregation that was filled with both slave and free. And while you as a slave are to respect and obey your master, As we relate to spiritual things, you don't need to relate to religion. Exactly the point of relation is free, right? There is neither male nor female, Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, but we are all one in Christ, right? So, as I said, I think that that balance needs to be had, and that will help us understand Because there's something far more important than the abolition of slavery. This text addresses a far more important issue. And as a result, it also becomes timeless. Slavery has, in large part and parcel, been abolished in much of the modern world. We know that it exists in some places. But for large measure, it's been abolished in most of the modern world. That means this text doesn't have anything to say about slavery, right? Well, if that's all that this text was to do, was to cry for the abolition of slavery, then yeah, maybe so. But this text does way more than that. It's important to see that this passage has very appropriate application to our situation today, and this is my third thing I'd like to just mention quickly. As a matter of fact, back in Roman days, some slaves experienced even better conditions than free men. Similarly today, in America, there are many who are free who, in description of their lives, describe themselves as enslaved. Our freedoms at times, due to certain economic situations, certain social conditions, many people in our day and age feel themselves, although free, feel themselves to be quite enslaved. In a day in which selfishness and difficult labor relations abound, This text, Ephesians 6, is a pertinent model for employees and employers alike. There are principles here that truly need to be carried over, as long as we understand that we don't make those decisions too quickly. Our vocations are to be informed by our loyalty to Christ, and out of a love for Him, we are to serve and to honor our employers, and those who have employees are to direct and care for their employees. Quickly, this morning, Point number one is this. He gives some exhortations to slaves. Some exhortations to slaves. And he starts with, I want to talk quickly about their behavior and then the motivation behind it. Look what he says in Ephesians 6, verse 5. Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as to Christ, not by way of eye services, bend pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from afar. with goodwill, render service as to the Lord and not to men." Here we see obedience is being called upon slaves. They're supposed to obey their masters. By the way, interesting wordplay here. The word there is kurios in Greek. It's translated, Lord. Obey your lords. Which is interesting because it says here, obey your lords according to the flesh. In other words, fleshly lords, human masters. This is all giving us a He's foreshadowing where he's going, because in a minute, he's going to talk about the Lord of Heaven. So he says here, first of all, obey your lords, your earthly lords, your masters, according to the flesh. It's a call for obedience here. Remember, your spiritual freedom doesn't mean now that you can rebel against social norms or structures. And also, it reminds us that these masters only have a perfected sphere of the Lord. They're not touching the spiritual realm, are they? So, while they can dictate my behavior in an earthly manner, they have no say over my spiritual appearance. So, in the realm in which they've been given authority, the slaves are supposed to obey. There's obedience to be done in fear and trembling. The word there, fear, fabas, we've already looked at it before several times in the text before this. We're told, called to submit to one another in the fear of Christ, reverence of Christ. Wives were told in verse 33, chapter 5, that wives are supposed to respect their husbands. Again, that's the word fabas. Fear, respect, revere. The next word there, fear and trembling, is traumas. So, fabas and traumas. These two words happen several times in the Scriptures. They happen in conjunction, one to another, often. When you do things in fear and trembling, usually the fear is denoting this element of respect or awe. The trembling is the rightful response to that fear. Someone who respects or awes trembles. If they understand who this person is, there's an appropriate response. It's a natural response. In a similar regard, disobedience ought to be a natural consequence. Those who have been born again in Christ, they ought to render disobedience as done unto Christ. You see, it's the lordship of Christ that impacts the quality of one's service each and every day. It says here to do it with singleness of heart. That's an interesting word. The word singleness, it literally translates one-fold. One-fold. And it shows itself in contrast to double-folds, or triple-folds. In other words, it's a picture, a word picture for us, that describes singleness of purpose. That the heart of this individual, which is the inner center of the person, which is determining attitudes and behavior and actions, that there's supposed to be sincerity, and there's supposed to be a singleness of purpose regarding their actions. It goes on to describe this, not by eye service, as men pleases. There are a couple of interesting words here in Greek. That word, eye service, literally translated, eye service. The word eye and service, short, jam together. Eye service. In other words, we all know what this looks like, don't we? Someone who serves, hopefully you don't hear me saying, someone who serves when the boss is watching, in a more fervent manner. When the boss is out, I remember working at Kmart and we had to get there really early in the morning and sometimes the main boss men didn't get there until later. So guess what would happen so often? I remember seeing these guys taking forklifts and running them down the thing and jumping on and surfing around the back of the thing and I was sitting there just like, oh man, I was just like, I always thought that the boss men were going to walk in right when these guys were doing that. I don't want to be a part of this. But this is the same kind of thing, right? To do things for eye service. To do something just to flatter the boss, the boss's thing. These are those who work to cut corners, to cheat their masters out of what is rightly theirs. What does their master rightly do? A day's honest work, right? And to not give them that is to cheat them. Similarly today, all of us who are employed, to not give your boss his day's worth of hard work to cut corners, it's to cheat him. It's to be dishonest. Beware of complaining when the boss turns his or her back. Being, oh yes, wonderful, sounds great, and then soon as he's gone, oh, this boss is talking, or this kind of thing. These who do things for eye service are called men-pleasers. These who please men. And there's a contrast here. We're not men-pleasers, what are we? God-pleasers. We don't please men, we please God. Paul speaks of this about his own ministry in Galatians 1. He says, I don't preach as to please men, but to please God. You see, at the heart of the matter, a Christian seeks to please the Lord. We saw this in Ephesians 5, 10. In all things, trying to know or seek what is pleasing unto the Lord. Seeking to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. This is what a Christian does. And then surely, then, as a result, a slave would show this in his day. Seeking to please the Lord, he obeyed his master. It says here, "...as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul." Self-above, it said there were single wits of heart. Here it says, "...doing this from the soul." You see this? These words are rough synonyms here, trying to, again, picture the inner parts of the motivations. Remember that you are first and foremost slaves of Christ, all Christians. We live under the sphere of Christ's authority. He sees all. Where the master might only see certain things, guess what? Jesus sees everything. And the Lord judges by the heart, not by merely outward appearance. I love this quote from Barclay. He says, The conviction of the Christian workman is that every single piece of work he produces must be good enough to show to God. Anyway, there's just a minute. The last time you did something for work, Would you have felt good if God had given you the task and you presented it to Him? Or would you have been trembling in awe? We know the difference, don't we? When we've really poured our heart into it and we've done it well. It's a good thing to maybe keep in mind that the Lord is literally the one I was answering to here, because I will eventually. Would it inform my service any different? Would I be serving in a different way? You see, a worker's heart and soul should be in his works, in the Lord's glory. And therefore, guess what? Raises and promotions... Raises and promotions are incidental. Whether I get a raise... I'VE BEEN WORKING THIS JOB FOR EIGHT YEARS! I'VE GOT A RAISE! Who are you doing it for? Are you doing it for the money? Are you doing it for the raise? He raises promotions, awards, accolades. Anyone ever notices what you do, guess what? All incidental. Who cares? See, this is the gut check, isn't it? Because while we go, oh yeah, amen, amen, amen, do you ever have these feelings come into your heart, your mind? Do you wonder if anyone's noticing the work you're doing? Good news versus the worst, huh? It says here, with good will slaving, it says here, it's been translated serving, but it is again the word doulos, they're just as douloi, plural servants, servants, and then it says here's the verb form of that same word doulos, slaving as unto the Lord. To do this with good will as to the Lord and not to men. As we read earlier, 1 Peter 2.18, servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. See this? The ability to submit to an unreasonable master is only by the grace of God. This is to be a picture of the transformation that's happening in our clock. Quickly, it gives us then a motivation. Listen to the motivation that's given here. And by the way, it's the same clause that starts off the motivation for this as well as the motivation given for masters. Look at verse 8. Knowing that, knowing that, the motivation comes from a knowledge. There's knowledge here which motivates my service. What do I know? That any good that each might do This will be rewarded by the Lord, whether slave or free. Regardless of social position, each Christian will be rewarded for his good by the Lord. We know that all of us will appear before the judgment seat of Christ, the Sema seat, as it's referred to. Each one will be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he's done, whether good or bad. As it's been said, nothing well done is ever done in me. Nothing well done is ever done in me. Regardless of anyone ever noticing it, regardless of no thanks from anyone around you, nothing well done is ever done in me. God sees it all, and He is a rewarder of those who do. You see, Christ sees all things. Nothing escapes His notice. In order to apply that same principle of eye service, guess what? The Lord sees it all. Our author also reminds us all that we're going to be held responsible for what we did with what we've been given. The appraisal will not be in comparison with someone else and what they did with what they had. I'm not going to be judged upon what Matt has done with the gifts he has. I'm going to be judged based upon what I have done with the talents, gifts, energy, time, whatever God has given me. I'll be judged on what He has granted me, not on what someone else has done. This is exactly the principle of the parable of the talents, right? Each servant is judged on the basis of what they did with what they had, with what they were given. And I love when the Lord comes back here in the terrible, and the slave who had one talent, who had just buried it in the ground, dug it up and gave it to him, the description given of him is a wicked and lazy slave. You see that? Wicked and lazy. You see, his not doing anything with the talents was on par with sin. This is sinful. You see, there's no excuse for not using what you've been given. This ought to encourage us We've all been saved by grace. We all understand that none of us are deserving, really, of any reward, right? Any good we do is by God's grace, isn't it? I mean, just the pure fact that he's rewarding us, does it blow you away? Apart from his gift of grace, we know that anything not done from faith is sin. Faith is a gift from God. So guess what? Apart from his gifting, I can't do anything that's pleasing to God. And now the things that are pleasing to God, it only happens as a result of his having gifted me with the ability to do it. And then isn't it incredible that he rewards me? not as though we deserve this reward. We ought to respond, as Jesus even told in Luke 17, so you too, when you've done all the things that you are commanded, say, we are unworthy servants. Who have we done the things that we ought to do? It's not like if we get to the end of all this life and have, let's say, you stack up the good deeds, and it's your power, right? Again, it's if you were to live perfectly your entire life, it's only what you ought to do. He's not anything worthy of great accolades. And meanwhile, God, in His marvelous grace, has saved us. And now He's promising to heal us. He's prepared for this, right? Quickly. He doesn't end then with just talking about an exhortation to slaves. He talks then quickly, point number two, to an exhortation to masters. He addresses their behavior and then gives their motivation. Listen to this, this one's quick, verse nine. And masters do the same thing to them. Give up threatening. Do the same thing to them. He is not saying here, now masters, you're supposed to obey your slaves. That would break down the entire argument here. That's not what he's trying to describe. That's not what he's trying to say. He's still holding these positions of authority in earthly spheres. But what he's saying is, you have the same behavior, the same attitude, you remember also the fact that the Lord will reward those who do good, both those who are slaves and those who are free. Slaves are to be treated with dignity, men created in the image of God. As Charles Hodge said, masters and slaves are men and brothers. The same great principles of moral and religious obligation govern both groups of people. These are people that are to be respected and cared for, taken care of. He goes on to describe it as ceasing from threats. It was commonplace by masters to threaten slaves because they thought they could threaten them with all sorts of heinous things. It would excite them to greater service. Isn't it true that this practice still happens today, especially on football field, doesn't it? It's believed by way too many coaches. Don't be one of those coaches. One of those coaches that if we just threaten them with an inch of their life, then we'll get what we want. You see, the model for leadership here is not to be someone who's overbearing with threats. Parents of children of this age assume that. You see, a boss's behavior ought to, listen to this, ought to engender submission from the other one. In vice versa. They don't have that type of effect. Now, meanwhile, may I just remind you that, just as we talked about before, a husband's love is not dependent on the submission of his wife, a wife's submission is not dependent on the love of her husband. In a similar fashion, a slave's submission is not dependent on a master because he's right. And a master's behavior is not determined on the side. Each are 100% responsible for their position in the relationship. You know, many lead with a heavy fist, making extreme threats that go beyond the scope of proper discipline. And it's very comforting to say, this is not the way to win souls in this world. A leader is one who ought to lead in such a way that he complements the right type of behavior that his workers are to offer. As Colossians 4 1 says, masters, grant to your slaves justice and privilege. And as I said, quickly, it gives us that again, the statement of motivation. Verse 9, the second part of it, knowing that, you see it? There it is again, knowing that. This will be solved in verse 8, knowing that. Knowing that, so again, acknowledges the motivation, knowing that, two things listed, both their master and yours is in heaven, and number two, there is no partiality with him. I think it's so interesting that both of their behaviors is grounded in a similar fashion, just with a different nuance of meaning. With slaves, do your best work as unto the Lord. Why? He sees good, and what does he do? He rewards it. Masters, take care about how you rule your slaves, because guess what? you're going to see a judgment today. The same Lord of the slaves is Lord of you. You're brothers when it's compared to God. You might have a difference in social standing here, but ultimately, there's a same standing in heaven. It's a humbling reminder that no matter what our position is in society, the same Lord is Lord over us all. We must all go before Him and give an account. It makes me think of those parables, there's one in Matthew 24 and one in Matthew 18, which talks about the relationship between servants. Remember these? Probably the most famous one is Matthew 18, the unforgiving servant, right? The one servant forgiven the huge debt, he then won't forgive the servant underneath him. When the boss above him finds out about it, he's angry at him. In a similar regard, we're called to forgive others who have transgressed against us, knowing that all of us are really slaves of a higher master. We hear what he's saying, and remember, there is a judgment coming, yes, for good deeds, but also for those who have done wrong. Because remember that the same Lord is Lord of all men, and you know where He is? He's in heaven. I love Psalm 115, our Lord is in the heavens, He does whatever He pleases. He exercises authority over all things. And secondly, just in case these masters hadn't gotten the point, Guess what? There's going to be a judgment. All of us have the same ward. But maybe, perhaps, there might be a master who's still thinking, yeah, but when I get there, I'm going to have some special privilege. Because I've got a privileged position in society, so I'm going to distance Welch, any possibility that's a bad attitude or thought. The word there, favorite, isn't interesting. It's shown. It happened a couple times in the New Testament. It's literally translated receiving face. Receiving face. It pictures that of someone who's a ruler and having subjects come before them and as a basis of just looking at someone, showing them special care versus somebody who's not. What it says here is that there is no, God is no respecter of persons. There is no partiality with him. Your position here on earth might make yourself think you have a position of grandeur. When we're all in heaven, we're on an equal playing field. The Lord is in the only position of utter grandeur. Andrew Lincoln says this, The Christian household retains the distinctive social status of a slave and free, but in light of the coming judgment, they are ultimately free. Well said. In other words, when you come to know Christ, these distinctions within the families, are maintained. A husband to his wife, parents to their children, masters to slaves. But in light of the eschaton, in light of the coming end of all of this, these teachings are utterly useless. In conclusion, we surely can rejoice here in America that slavery has by and large been expunged from the course of the world. But still, the workplace is an arena where the principles of certainthood and leadership are to be applied. Knowing the Lord transforms all human relationships. As a result, a Christian's work ethic ought to be a wondrous example and testament to a world that doesn't even understand this work ethic. Do not despise those small moments when next to another employee You show yourself to Him. Do not just slug it off. Do not think it's no big deal. It is a big deal. In your integrity and honesty, you declare a God, the same who called you to Christ. You see, our behavior and attitudes in the workplace and the settings in which our devotion to the Lord are seemingly building contracts. This is my prayer that all of our lives we declare His liturgy and may our work praise God. Heavenly Father, thank you for this morning. I'm trifled through this text. said, so much more could be said. Or, it never ceases to amaze me how clearly you have described these issues in your work, and how we often just meditate upon these issues to kind of inform and transform our relationships with other events. They help us be See our workplaces.