Real Relationships - Servant/Master

THE SERVANT–MASTER RELATIONSHIP

Ephesians 6:5–9 KJV 1900

5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

Introduction

Before I get into the message tonight, I want to tell you what brought this passage to my mind. Earlier this week I was reading the news, and I came across a story that absolutely stunned me. A basketball coach at Texas Tech — Mark Adams — was suspended and eventually resigned, all because he quoted Scripture to one of his players.

Here’s what happened. One of his players wasn’t responding well to coaching. He wasn’t listening. He wasn’t following instruction. So the coach pulled him aside and tried to teach him a principle that every young man needs to learn: there is always going to be someone in authority, and there is always going to be someone under authority. You cannot go anywhere in life if you refuse to be coached, refuse to be corrected, or refuse to obey.

And to make that point, the coach referenced a Bible verse — a verse that speaks about servants being obedient to their masters. He wasn’t trying to degrade the young man. He wasn’t trying to belittle him. He wasn’t trying to “put him back into slavery,” as the media later accused. He was simply trying to teach him the importance of obedience and authority.

But the moment that Scripture was mentioned, everything exploded. The university said the comment was “racially insensitive.” The media said it was inappropriate. The coach was suspended. And within days, he resigned.

That’s the world we live in. A world where quoting Scripture — Scripture that teaches obedience, authority, and responsibility — is treated as offensive. A world where biblical truth is labeled hateful. A world where the servant‑master relationship in Ephesians 6 is misunderstood, twisted, and weaponized.

And yet, God put this passage in the Bible for a reason. Not to endorse slavery. Not to oppress anyone. But to teach believers how to live under authority, how to lead with integrity, and how to honor Christ in every relationship — whether we are the servant or the master, the employee or the employer, the one following or the one leading.

Today, I want to walk through this passage and show you exactly what God expects from us in these relationships.

I. The Context of the Servant–Master Relationship

When I come to Ephesians 6, I have to remind myself of something: Paul is not endorsing slavery. God never instituted slavery. God never desired slavery. But Paul is dealing with a reality that existed in his day — a reality that still exists in different forms today.

In Ephesus, there were people who were free, and there were people who were bondservants. Some were paying off debts. Some were under contractual obligation. Some were in situations they didn’t choose. And Paul doesn’t ignore that. He addresses it head‑on.

And in our day, we don’t think of it in terms of slavery. We think of it in terms of employer and employee. Authority and under‑authority. Someone in charge, and someone following.

And let me say this — slavery has not been abolished. Not really. It may not be legal in America, but the number one illegal trade in the world is not drugs. It’s not weapons. It’s sex trafficking. Sex slavery. Forced exploitation. It’s wicked. It’s evil. And God is not for it.

But what Paul is dealing with here is not forced exploitation. He’s dealing with the reality of authority structures in life — and how Christians are supposed to behave inside those structures.

And he makes something very clear: Whether you are bond or free, whether you are servant or master, whether you are employee or employer — the same God rules over all.

There is only one true Master, and that is God.

II. The Christian Life Is a Life of Service

When I read this passage, I’m reminded that Christianity is not about climbing the ladder. It’s not about gaining authority. It’s not about getting into an elevated position. It’s about learning how to serve.

If Christ Himself — the very God of heaven — put on a towel and washed the feet of His disciples, then what excuse do I have not to serve? Those men didn’t have boots or sneakers. They had sandals. Dirt. Grime. Filth. And the God of eternity knelt down and washed their feet.

That’s humility.

That’s service.

And if He served, then I have no right to refuse service. I have no right to think I’m above anything. I have no right to think I’m too important to obey, too important to submit, too important to follow.

And Paul makes it clear — the same expectations God places on the servant, He places on the master. Verse 9 says,

Ephesians 6:9 KJV 1900

9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

That means authority doesn’t exempt me from responsibility. Leadership doesn’t excuse me from obedience. Being in charge doesn’t give me the right to mistreat or neglect those under me.

The Christian life is a life of service — no matter which side of the authority structure I’m on.

III. Three Expectations in the Servant–Master Relationship

1. The Expectation of Obedience (v. 5)

Ephesians 6:5 “5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;”

That means the people God has placed over me in this life — not spiritual authorities, not parents, but earthly authority. Employers. Supervisors. Teachers. Anyone who has a rightful position over me.

Now, I’m not talking about blind obedience. Just like children obey their parents “in the Lord,” I obey earthly authority as long as what they ask is right.

If my boss ever came to me and said, “Hey, I need you to lie on this form so we don’t get in trouble with the IRS,” I have every right to say no. If they ask me to cheat, steal, or do something dishonest, I can say no. God never expects me to obey sin.

But when they ask me to do something right — something honest — then God expects obedience. And He expects me to obey with the right spirit. “With fear and trembling.” That doesn’t mean I’m shaking in terror. It means I respect the position they hold. I’m not obeying simply because I’m scared of losing my job. I’m obeying because I recognize God has placed authority in my life, and I honor that.

There is a truth to that though. If you don’t do the job, if you don’t show up for the job, if you steal from the job, you can expect that you just might lose that job.

You know as well as I do now that we hear it is harder than ever just to find people that will show up to work let alone people that will actually do honest days labor, but is it really that different from what we are seeing in church? There are a lot of folks in this world that will make excuses to miss church because they “don’t feel good today” but they won’t take the day off of work but they’ll drag their sick selves into the job site. Can I tell you, you need to worship God just the same (if not more) than you need that pay check.

Then He says, “in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ.” That means I obey with a pure motive. I don’t obey because my boss deserves it. I obey because Christ deserves it. None of my bosses were Jesus, but I was still supposed to obey them the same way I would obey the Lord — as long as what they asked was right.

I remember working at Anderson’s in Meridian, and they came to me one day and said, “Ryan, we need volunteers to help go around to each unit in the facility and clean the IT equipment?” Now, we’re talking about where drinks have been spilled and crumbs and food and all that sort of stuff left uncleaned because it was too close to the IT equipment. It was terrible.

But they said, “We’ll pay you to do it.” And I said, “Well, I’m not excited about it, but if you’re going to pay me, I’ll do it.” And they just stared at me like I was crazy. But that’s obedience. That’s doing what’s asked of me with the right spirit.

And here’s the thing — if I want obedient workers under me someday, I have no right to expect anything out of them that I’m not willing to give myself. If I want people to obey me, I better be an obedient worker myself.

2. The Expectation of Genuineness (vv. 6–7)

Ephesians 6:6–7 KJV 1900

6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

“Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers.”

That means I don’t work only when the boss is watching. I don’t suddenly become the best employee in the building just because the supervisor walked in.

I’ve worked with people like that. They sit around on their phones, hide out, waste time — and the moment the boss shows up, they turn into employee of the year. That’s not Christian. That’s not genuine.

The boss shouldn’t have to watch me to make sure I was working. He should know that he can count on you to get the job done.

We should strive to remember that while the boss on the job may not be watching you every moment and nor should he have to, there is God that sees everything we do, everything we think, everything we forget, etc. and He knows and understands us.

That’s what God expects. Not eyeservice. Not menpleasing. But genuine service. Not for applause. Not for affirmation. Not to be the boss’s pet. Not to earn a trophy. But because I’m a servant of Christ.

And He says, “doing the will of God from the heart.” Everything in life is a heart issue. If my heart isn’t right, I won’t do right. I can accomplish tasks, but if my heart is wrong, I won’t enjoy it, and it won’t honor God.

The greatest worker on any job site ought to be the Christian. But we live in a generation where that testimony has been tarnished. Some employers don’t want to hire Christians because of the poor testimony of others. I can’t fix that, but I can be what God expects me to be.

3. The Expectation of a Reward (v. 8)

Ephesians 6:8 KJV 1900

8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

“Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord.”

He doesn’t say I’ll get a raise. He doesn’t say I’ll get a promotion. He doesn’t say my master will set me free. He doesn’t say I’ll get special treatment. He says the reward comes from the Lord.

God sees honest work. God rewards honest work. Whether I’m bond or free — whether I’m working for a paycheck or paying off a debt — God’s reward is the same.

God is not confined by government regulations. God is not limited by earthly systems. God does not show favoritism.

I don’t work hard because I’m trying to get something out of man. I work hard because I’m seeking something from God.

I serve faithfully because God sees what others don’t. I labor honestly because God rewards what others overlook.

IV. One Master Over All (v. 9)

Ephesians 6:9 KJV 1900

9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

When I get to verse 9, Paul brings everything together. He says that if I’m in authority, I’m held to the same standard as the one under authority. I don’t get to threaten. I don’t get to intimidate. I don’t get to abuse my position. I don’t get to act like I’m better than anyone else.

Because I have a Master too.

And He’s in heaven.

And He doesn’t show favoritism.

He doesn’t treat the servant differently than the master. He doesn’t treat the employer differently than the employee. He doesn’t treat the authority differently than the under‑authority.

We all stand equal before God.

And that means I better treat people right. I better lead right. I better work right. I better obey right. Because the same God who watches the servant watches the master. The same God who rewards the servant rewards the master. The same God who judges the servant judges the master.

There is only one true Master — and He is in heaven.

Altar Call / Gospel Invitation

Now before we close today, I want to bring this passage right down to where we live.

We’ve talked about servants and masters. We’ve talked about obedience, genuineness, and reward. We’ve talked about authority and responsibility. But none of that matters if you don’t know the Master Himself.

Verse 9 says, “your Master also is in heaven.” That means every one of us in this room has a Master. Not a boss. Not an employer. Not a supervisor. A Master.

And His name is Jesus Christ.

Do you see Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of the Father as the Master, or are you like Judas and have only ever truly referred to Him as “good teacher”?

You may spend your whole life trying to obey earthly authority, trying to be a good worker, trying to be a good leader, trying to be a good person — but if you have never bowed your heart to the Master in heaven, you are still lost in sin.

The Bible says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” That means every one of us has broken God’s law. Every one of us has rebelled against His authority. Every one of us has gone our own way.

And the wages of that sin is death — not just physical death, but eternal separation from God in hell.

But the good news right here right now is this: The same Master who sits in heaven is the same Savior who went to the cross. The same God who has authority over all is the same God who shed His blood for all. The same Lord who commands obedience is the same Lord who offers mercy.

He died for you. He was buried for you. He rose again for you. And He stands ready today to save you.

You don’t get saved by being a good servant. You don’t get saved by being a good master. You don’t get saved by working hard, living right, or doing better.

You get saved by coming to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith.

If you’ve never been saved — if you’ve never trusted Christ — now is the time accepted if the Holy Spirit is drawing you. Today is the day to bow your heart to the Master in heaven. Today is the day to say, “Lord, I know I’m a sinner. I know I’ve broken Your law. I know I deserve judgment. But I believe You died for me, and I’m asking You to save me.”

And Christian, maybe God has dealt with your heart about obedience. Maybe He’s dealt with you about genuineness. Maybe He’s dealt with you about your work ethic, your attitude, your spirit, your testimony. Maybe He’s reminded you that you’ve been serving man more than you’ve been serving Christ.

The altar is open for you too.

If God has spoken to your heart — about salvation, about obedience, about integrity, about your testimony — don’t leave here without doing business with Him. He is your Master. He sees your heart. He knows your need. And He is ready to help you.

Let’s stand together. If God has spoken, you come.