Ephesians 6:1-9
Ephesians • Sermon • Submitted
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Ephesians: Part 1
God’s Reconciliation in Christ, Chapters 1-3
Ephesians Part 2
Our Response to God’s work in Christ, Chapters 4-6
Let’s sit on “in the heavens” for a minute.
The first three chapters, where the mystery of the Trinity unfolds throughout history restoring Eden with a new race of people, gives us a new perspective. Now, with that perspective, we are instructed on how to live now.
Therefore ...
By commanding wives to “submit” before describing the husband’s actions, it is clear that the command for submission to wives is not contingent on the husband acting like Christ. Indeed, that’s only going to happen in the very best of times.
Wives are to “fear” their husbands, not scared, but “fearing” the husband’s opinion over the opinion of others. Fear—> who is the person I don’t want to be disappointed. If we fear God, we care more about what he thinks than about what others think. A godly wife fears her husband’s wishes more than others. Submitting and fearing a husband is not strange. It isn’t weird for a wife to do these things. But it is orderly to do these things. Submitting and fearing (like we submit to one another in the fear of Christ, v. 21) a husband begins the process of submitting to one another and fearing Christ. Paul starts the household commands here.
The Genesis teaching about a husband and wife becoming “one flesh” is revealed by Paul to be a metaphor for Christ and the Church. The intimacy in marriage points to a greater reality, just like the sacrifices of the OT pointed to Jesus’s death and Resurrection.
The husband loves his wife, like Jesus loves his people. It involves sacrifice, leadership, and caring. This is the second, orderly instance of how being filled with the Spirit looks like. It expands from here.
First, some questions.
Have you ever worked in someone else’s home? What was it like?
What did you get away with that your parents never found out about?
Why is it important to work our jobs with a good attitude? Is that even in the Bible?
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land. Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ. Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people, knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord. And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
The shift for children to “obey” teaches us a few things:
Wives are different. There is not a command for a wife to obey.
Children obey parents. There is an implied union and equality here. The command is not “obey your mother and serve your father,” or “obey your father”.
Children were expected to be present during the reading of this letter.
What are the implications of this for what the Christian community looked like then?
What are the implications of this for the current church?
Children are moral actors, people whose decisions affect the whole community and church.
Submitting to one another and living full of the Spirit will sometimes look like obedience.
“because this is right”
It is both common sense, but also an OT teaching.
Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
The ten commandments are an outworking of the commandment, “Do not have other gods besides me”. Disobedience to the other commandments is a form of idolatry.
The ethical commands in Ephesians are an outworking of the knowledge of the mystery revealed: live in the Spirit expecting the new life, blameless in the presence of God (1:4).
So that you may live long in the land has an expanded meaning now. The practical advice to obey parents becomes a spiritual act in the knowledge of the heavenly blessing.
Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Now, fathers show up again, alone without wives. Don’t yell at your kids. Don’t give a reason for resentment. Assuming the child listening is obedient—don’t do something that breaks that trust.
There is a good way to parent, and a bad way to parent. One is worldly in the darkness, and one is heavenly in the light (5:8). Training and instruction = theory and practice. Kids (and us) need both.
Now for some slavery
Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ. Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people, knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord. And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
Fear and trembling?
Serve the Lord with reverential awe
and rejoice with trembling.
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and his Anointed One: “Let’s tear off their chains and throw their ropes off of us.” The one enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord ridicules them. Then he speaks to them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath: “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will declare the Lord’s decree. He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance and the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with an iron scepter; you will shatter them like pottery.” So now, kings, be wise; receive instruction, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with reverential awe and rejoice with trembling. Pay homage to the Son or he will be angry and you will perish in your rebellion, for his anger may ignite at any moment. All who take refuge in him are happy.
His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” But he was looking around to see who had done this. The woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.”
Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ. Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people, knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord. And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
“he will receive this back from the Lord”
Paul said in chapter 2 that we are not saved by works. In fact, our salvation is because we are to do good works.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
He will repay each one according to his works: eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality; but wrath and anger to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth while obeying unrighteousness. There will be affliction and distress for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For there is no favoritism with God.
And masters . . .
What does Paul have to say to masters?
What is Paul’s opinion of slavery?
Application
What does this section teach us about worship?
What does this section teach us about prayer?
What does this section teach us about the Father, Son, and Spirit?
Love dominates the next section of the letter. What about here?