Glorifying God in our Relationships; Ephesians 6:1-9
0 ratings
· 13 viewsWe are to glorify God in any role that we play; child or parent, slave or master, we should always be pointing people to Jesus.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
PRAY AT BEGINNING!
Series Recap… less the book and more on last week
Overall of the book,
chapters 1-3 how we are saved
chapters 4-6 how to live as saved people
Last week -
submitting to each other
our marriages should be an example of the relationship with the church and Jesus.
wives are to submit as the church does to Christ
husbands are to love as Christ loves the church
This week - Glorifying God in our relationships
When we say things like the Bible is good for everyday life this is what we are talking about
How do we relate to others in specific roles
children relating to their parents, parents to their children
What a boss should look like or an employee
and this week we even hit on the topic of slavery
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right.
2 Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise,
3 so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.
4 Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
5 Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ.
6 Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart.
7 Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people,
8 knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord.
9 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.
Paul has just talked about the relationship in the church
speak to one another in hymns, spiritual songs and singing
be thankful in everything
submit to one another
Paul spoke about how we are to relate to one another in marriage
wives, submit and respect your husbands
husbands, love your wife.
cherish her as Christ loves the church
Now he is moving to other relationships that we have, will have, or are in the church
One specifically before we get started, slavery
I do not want to breeze by this word and just take the much accurate application to our work that we have without speaking openly about it
The Bible does not condone slavery, Paul is not condoning slavery in this passage by saying how the slave and the master should act
in fact, the instruction that Paul uses was contradictory of the time and would be used as a means to the end of the slavery practice
Slavery in the United States was based on race
No person should ever be seen as property, each has value as one made in the image of God
it does not matter the race, gender, sexual identity whatever else our society thinks that we need to clarify
ALL PEOPLE are made in the image of God and and should be valued as such
this begins in the womb and does not end while they are alive
this does not excuse sin, or living contrary to the word of God
but the sin of another does not give us permission to be disobedient to the word of God
we are to love our neighbor as ourselves
US slavery was all about race and the superiority that another race assumed
it is not, was not and never will be biblical and it is evil
Slavery in the Roman Empire was not quite the same
though Paul is not condoning, just expressing how to live in the situation that they found themselves in
it was less to do about race, though there was some
most often it was about debt
you could be born into slavery, but all had the opportunity to earn money and get out of slavery
this was not an opportunity that was given to the US slave
We are to glorify God in any role that we play; child or parent, slave or master, we should always be pointing people to Jesus.
Today we will see three commonalities that Paul gives to each relationship
Simple Obedience
Simple Obedience
I would love to tell you that there is a special greek word that really doesn’t mean obey like we mean obey
that word literally means to obey, or answer when called
Do you feel the reluctancy in that
we immediately want to know when it is ok to rebel
our desire and tendency to rebellion is just like our relationship with the Lord
he tells us how we ought to live, he gives us the law and we simply disobey rather than simply obeying
Children obey your parents
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right.
This is what is right - this is the natural law of things
sure I can give you a break for time where you parents tell you to do something that is not biblical, if your parents are trying to make you do something sinful, you are excused
but basically, as long as we are in the household of our parents, under their care, we are to obey
There is a condition to this command
it is not based on what the child is told to do
but the parents must train and instruct the child in the Lord
Slaves obey your masters
5 Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ.
again, not if contrary to the Lord
but as you would the Lord
masters obey THE master
9 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.
Your the boss of that servant, that employee
you point them to Christ by the way that you treat them
is there grace? is there compassion for them as people made in the image of God
or do we treat them as a business tool
I have had that boss - The Casino
Why do we make obedience so hard
self…
we think we know best and we want things done our way
we elevate self to a lofty place
3 For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.
What was the grace given to Paul that he would be able to tell everyone not to think to highly of themselves
6 For if I want to boast, I wouldn’t be a fool, because I would be telling the truth. But I will spare you, so that no one can credit me with something beyond what he sees in me or hears from me,
7 especially because of the extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself.
8 Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me.
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.
Obedience is hard because we exalt ourselves
the way that we obey should point others to our relationship with the Lord
the humble way that we serve him
knowing that he must increase and I must decrease
knowing that we are not worthy to untie his sandal
Sincere Obedience
Sincere Obedience
Sometimes we can muster up the will to simply obey, but now Paul takes this a step farther and says that we must do it with the right heart
Does this make anyone else just a little uneasy
Really we want to say, “Fine I will obey, but I do not like it!” or, “I will because I have too, not because I want too!”
this is normally said in not so many words by teenagers and kids
it normally comes out as a sigh
Children honor your parents
2 Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise,
3 so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.
Fathers, parents should give them a household that they want to obey
4 Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
We do not have unrealistic expectations, or undue blame, we should not be short tempered with our kids
oh I fail here… I have snapped at my kids over the years
especially when I am stressed or in a bad mood, they do not deserve it, nothing they are doing wrong
I normally get a look from Heather, that says, what did they do or really I think it means, what is your problem?
we should be as parents setting our kids up for success in obedience
we do this by being encouragers not discouragers
we do this by training and instructing them
training means discipline
we are not loving our kids more by giving them a home that is absent of discipline
6 for the Lord disciplines the one he loves and punishes every son he receives.
The Lord disciplines the one he loves and so do we
Instruction means that we teach with words
The shema is a Hebrew prayer that is found in the book of Deuteronomy
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your might.
Moses, the writer tells the parents after this that they should teach this diligently to their children
slaves with sincerity of heart
5 Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ.
6 Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart.
Fear and terror… that sounds like an awful way of serving
we must take it in context with the rest of the verse
it is not a slavish fear, like if I do not do this on time and the right way I will receive punishment
but with an eagerness and desire to serve the master
this is how we serve the Lord
we do not serve out of a fear of punishment
if you do, you do not know the grace and love of our savior
if you do, you are trying to earn the love of Christ
We cannot do this on our own
we must repent when we do not have the right heart
we must ask the Lord to give us the right heart when serving
Honored Obedience
Honored Obedience
The question comes naturally from us, or at least from me
okay, I will obey, I will try to do this with the right attitude, but what is in it for me
a couple things come to mind
why do we, who have been redeemed by the Lord think that we deserve anything from him for simply obeying the one who redeemed us
if we are looking for an earthly reward, are we really serving with the right attitude
we are in it for us… and the reward, not for the love of the father
First command with a promise
2 Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise,
3 so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land.
I think that the mistake that we have with this verse is that we read half of it
you will have a long life
we think that this means that nothing bad will happen to us
we will live to be a nice old age
the promise was given to the people of Israel
you will live long in the land
meaning you will live in the promise land, you will live with the Lord
this is our reward… Jesus! Dwelling in the house of the Lord forever!
Slave or Free will be rewarded by the Lord
we see the same type of promise to them
8 knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord.
9 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.
this is the reward we long for, a heavenly reward
our inheritance as children of God
that our savior and king is preparing a place for his bride
a mansion built for us and that if he goes to prepare a place for us, then he will come again to take us to himself
what more of a reward could we ever ask for
No favoritism, all are equal in him
this is not a promise for the children, or the slave, or the master
but for all who are in Christ