12_10_2023 - Ephesians 6:5-9 - Sacred Hands

(Opening Prayer)

(Sermon Introduction)

Today we continue our “Ephesians” series.

(AG Reminder)

Central is an Assembly of God church. For more information on our AG beliefs and positions feel free to check out the “What We Believe” link on the Central App, visit the website, or stop by the office.

(Ephesians Context)

The books of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are what we call the “Prison Epistles.”

Paul is writing Ephesians during his first imprisonment in Rome around 60 AD (recorded in Acts 28).

Like Colossians, this letter was carried to the province of Asia by Tychicus (Eph. 6:20-21).

This explains the similarity of doctrinal content, the same ideas being fresh in the apostle’s mind as he wrote these letters.

On Paul’s second missionary journey he planted the church of Ephesus (Acts 18:19).

On his third missionary journey Paul pastored the church of Ephesus for three years (Acts 20:31).

Paul finishes his third missionary journey and stops in Ephesus to say goodbye as he made his way to Jerusalem and ultimately to prison in Rome where he is writing this letter to them.

(Series Recap and Sermon Title)

Since July, we have been going through the Bible book of Ephesians.

In Ephesians 1 we focused on the calling of Paul and the nature of the gospel.

In Ephesians 2 we focused on the impact of God’s love, mercy, and grace upon us and the people around us and how being “in Christ” changes us.

In Ephesians 3 we focused on the mystery of Christ being played out in the Church.

In Ephesians 4 we spoke of unity, the equipping of the church, and the rejection of the old life for the new one.

In Ephesians 5 we talked at length about rejecting the old life for the new life, desiring to be like Jesus in every relationship we have including our marriages.

Last week in Ephesians 6:1-4 we discussed, the importance being like Jesus for the sake of our kids.

Today we are in Ephesians 6:5-9, but before we get there I want to set the table with some extra context:

(Context: Slaves and Masters of the Roman Empire)

This passage of Scripture has always been a tough passage for us as westerners to understand for several reasons:

“Slaves” and “masters” are trigger words for us with much history, hurt, and anger behind them.

We often understand these terms through our worldview versus the worldview of the time in which they were written.

We stand appalled or at least confused as to why Paul didn’t seek to abolish these terms and ways of life in his writings.

We struggle with admonitions recorded in Scripture concerning something that should not exist.

We struggle with the fact that it is in the Bible at all.

It is important to understand that although it is true that there were abuses of slaves by masters during the Roman Empire, much like that of the slave trades that went before and occurred afterwards even to this day, it important to recognize what Scripture is saying and what it is not saying.

Scripture is not condoning slavery.

Scripture is not verifying the practice of slavery in any way.

Scripture is describing the situation not prescribing the situation.

Scripture is presenting a biblical response to what society had presented.

Scripture verifies that our response to the world around us matters, especially in the midst of situations that have not changed…yet.

Scripture doesn’t shy away from telling us the truth about the evil in the world.

Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Spirit to a church that was tasked with making disciples in the midst of an evil society, therefore they had to know how to respond to things that may not change, in a way that honors their true King-Jesus Christ.

British Museum Quote

The question of race and slavery in Roman times is a complex one. In the Roman world, enslaved people came from a range of ethnic backgrounds, often the same as their masters.

Slavery in ancient Rome is well documented. Various literary sources, legal documents, inscriptions and artistic representations show how common enslaved people were in everyday life. Yet we don't know exact numbers, making it hard to fully understand their importance to Roman society and its economy.

Surviving evidence shows that enslaved people had a wide range of occupations. Many carried out hard manual labour under strict supervision, but they could also perform more specialized activities with a higher degree of autonomy. Some were highly autonomous and were even responsible for other enslaved people, known as vicarii.

Today, it's difficult to fully appreciate the relative prevalence of these enslaved occupations or to measure exactly how much of the Roman workforce they accounted for. However, it's clear slavery played a significant role, acting as a vital component of Roman society and its economy. Enslaved people were ubiquitous in the city and countryside, in both households and businesses, and their ownership was not limited to the elite.

Under Roman law, enslaved people had no personal rights and were regarded as the property of their masters. They could be bought, sold, and mistreated at will and were unable to own property, enter into a contract, or legally marry.

https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/nero-man-behind-myth/slavery-ancient-rome#:~:text=In%20the%20Roman%20world%20there,and%20infants%20abandoned%20at%20birth.

(World Issue: Slavery)

Before we transition into understanding how to live with sacred hands, I want to be clear about slavery and what the Lord wants in regard to it.

It is the desire of God that all men, women, and children be free in body, mind, soul, and spirit to live as God intended in Christ and we should work to that end.

Christ desires to free the whole person.

Sex trafficking is the second largest enterprise worldwide next to drug trafficking.

Freedom is a God-given right and we should be champions of freedom in Christ.

(Sermon Transition: Having Sacred Hands)

As we look at this text today, I want to take us back to the question I posed earlier:

All that we do for the Lord is sacred in His eyes, but is it sacred in our eyes?

There is much that we can gain from understanding what God sees as sacred and the heart with which we are to respond to His call for us to put our hands to the plow.

(Sermon Title)

Today we are talking about, “Sacred Hands.”

Ephesians 6:5–9 (NLT)

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.

6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.

7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

(Secular vs. Sacred)

There has been a misconception in Christendom about what is sacred and what is not.

There has been a belief that those things which directly reference or integrate within “the Church” are the “sacred” things and the things that happen within our everyday lives are the “secular.”

For instance, it is not uncommon to think of the work of the pastor as a “holy work” and your work within the walls of your office, classroom, combine, factory, or semi-truck as a “secular” or “unholy” work.

This worldview couldn’t be further from the truth.

Often, people will associate work with the curse and fall of man, but that is not the case.

Although it is true that the painful aspects of working and the toil that we experience in work is a part of the sin of Adam and Eve, it is also true that work was given before the fall and should be understood as GOOD!

Listen to the words of the God in Genesis before the fall:

Genesis 1:26–31 (NLT)

26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.

30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.

31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.

The Lord God said that it was “very good” what He had done in giving mankind oversight over creation to steward it.

To steward something means that there is work involved.

Every farmer knows that crops don’t harvest themselves.

Harvest is a blessing and it is work.

Again God speaks to work before the fall in Genesis 2:15 when He says:

Genesis 2:15 (ESV)

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

The Apostle Paul echoes this truth that God created work as a blessing, and not just work that directly involves the Word of God, but everything that we put our hands to is meant to be seen as sacred unto the Lord.

Listen to the words of Paul under the inspiration of the Spirit in Colossians 3:17:

Colossians 3:17 (CSB)

17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

And again in verses 22-24:

Colossians 3:22–24 (ESV)

22 Bondservants (slaves), obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

It is important that we see what we put our hands to with the same perspective as our Heavenly Father does.

All that we do for the Lord is sacred in His eyes, but is it sacred in our eyes?

Today I want to challenge us to think about the sacred.

I want us to recognize that when we place our hands to anything in His name it is sacred.

How do we treat it as sacred?

1. Remember Who You Serve

Ephesians 6:5–9 (NLT)

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.

6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.

7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

(Slaves of Christ)

Paul states emphatically that in all that we do, we should seek to do it as if we are serving Christ Himself, because we are.

In an interesting play on words, Paul calls upon the believer to see themselves as “slaves of Christ” (v. 6).

2. Serve With All Your Heart

Ephesians 6:5–9 (NLT)

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.

6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.

7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

How disgraceful it is when Christians don’t do good work.

Laziness is a sin and a stumbling block to the work and name of Christ.

Christians are called by Christ to do our best.

When we do our best it glorifies God.

When we do our best we communicate to the world that we are motivated and then they want to know what motivates us.

Christians should be filled with joy as they work with their hands.

It is Biblical to work hard and to be an example of Christ.

Paul writes the church in Thessalonica about the sacred nature of working and the opportunity it brings.

1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 (NLT)

11 Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.

12 Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.

Paul would later write again to this same church about the same thing.

The church of Thessalonica did not head the command of the Lord about the sacred nature of work, so Paul commands them again concerning how to live.

2 Thessalonians 3:11–12 (NLT)

11 Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business.

12 We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living.

What Paul is not saying here is that we should work all of the time.

The sacred nature of work doesn’t override the sacred nature of Sabbath rest.

Remember what the Scriptures say:

Genesis 2:1–3 (ESV)

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Exodus 20:8–11 (NLT)

8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work,

10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.

11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

It holy and sacred to work and rest.

As believers, everything we do is meant to be sacred unto the Lord.

Colossians 3:23 (NLT)

23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

(Instrumental Music)

(Sermon Recap)

Sacred Hands

Remember Who You Serve

Serve With All Your Heart

(Closing Challenge)

The world has taught us to compartmentalize our lives, but as Christians we are commanded to live with sacred hands in all that we do.

We are called to Remember Christ in everything and to honor Him in everything we do.

We have sacred hands and are called to use them for His glory and to display the message of Christ to the world with how we use them.

Are you serving Christ or others with your hands?

Are you serving Christ with all your heart by the way that you work?

Are you living with sacred hands?

(Response Card)

(Response)

(Invite Altar Team)

(Closing Blessing)

Numbers 6:24–26 (ESV)

24 The Lord bless you and keep you.

25 The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.

26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.