Family Matters Part 4

Sermon  •  Submitted
0 ratings
· 9 views
Notes
Transcript
Ephesians 6:5–9 (ESV)
Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
Introduction:
As we look at the history of the Southern Baptist Convention we see good things. One of those good things is the Cooperative Program. More than 100 years ago churches thought it would be best they combine their resources in order to reach people over seas with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is called “One Sacred Effort.” They said we can do more together than we can apart. That effort still lives on today. Unfort there are some bad things int he history of the Southern Baptist Convention too. Paul is addresses what is good and what is bad as it it relates to servants and masters in the book of Ephesians.
Central Point of the Sermon: The Spirit-filled servants and masters reflect a transformed life as they live life together.
Question: How do servants and masters do obey and do good?
Paul gives three truths that of those who have been saved must apply to our lives today.
Central Point of the Sermon: The Spirit-filled servants and masters reflect a transformed life in what they do.
Question: How do servants and masters obey and do good?
Paul gives three truths that of those who have been saved must apply to our lives today.

1. Spirit-filled servants obey from a pure heart, by looking to the right person (vs. 5-7).

Paul begins to address the bondservants. The word bondservant is the word dulos in the original language. It’s the word slave. The word actually has been translated bondservant because of the negative connotation that comes to mind when we think of slaves.
Many commentators speak to the issue of slavery practiced in Roman-era and slavery practiced in America. It was a totally different practice with each of them.
C.E Arnold said,
“The mention of slavery in a modern context immediately leads people to think of the form of slavery practiced in the New World. Slavery during the Roman Principate, however, was vastly different.There are several distinctive characteristics of Roman-era slavery that should be observed.
(1)Racial factors played no role. Whereas slavery in America in the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries principally involved the acquisition of black African slaves forcibly taken from their homeland, Roman-era slavery had nothing to do with race or a particular people group.
(2) Many slaves could reasonably expect to be emancipated during their lifetime. A great number of slaves could even expect to be released by the time they were thirty years old.
(3) Many slaves worked in a variety of specialized and responsible positions. Although some slaves were confined to many years of hard labor in agriculture, manufacturing, or domestic duties, many others served as “doctors, teachers, writers, accountants, agents, bailiffs, overseers, secretaries, and sea captains.
4) Many slaves received education and training in specialist skills. Few opportunities were provided to slaves in the New World to receive general education or skill development training, yet this was a common practice of slave owners in the Roman world.
(5) Freed slaves often became Roman citizens and developed a client relationship to their former masters. It was the common practice for an emancipated slave to gain Roman citizenship. Having gained their freedom, life out from under the provisions and protection of their former
Arnold, C. E. (2010). Ephesians (p. 420). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Slavery in America was chattel slavery and the majority of it was for selfish motives and malicious treatment of those in slavery. It was very cruel and sad. Many of us know the history of slavery in this country and it’s sad to even talk about.
Again C.E. Arnold speaks to slavery in general and shows that the Bible does not give a theological basis for or against it. He said, “The widespread practice of slavery does not give moral justification for its existence. Slavery always involves the ownership of one or more persons by another that constitutes the deprivation of their freedom. When we read Paul’s letters (including Ephesians), we find that he never gives a theological basis for slavery; he assumes its presence in society and helps believers understand what it means to live as a Christian within this socioeconomic institution.”
Arnold, C. E. (2010). Ephesians (p. 419). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.”
Freedom is key when we are talking about slavery. This applies both to slaves and masters.
Paul addresses bondservants or slaves here in verse 5 the same way he addressed the church, wives, husbands, and children in chapter 5. The verb obey is a present active imperative. Again just like I stated in previous messages Paul is not giving slaves an option as to whether to obey or not. He is commanding them to obey.
They are to obey from a pure heart and they are able to do this only by being filled with the Spirit and looking to the right person “Christ.”
I think the history behind the term slavery really articulates the importance of walking in the Spirit and looking to the Savior.
A beautiful picture of this is looking at the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis. Joseph’s heart was focused on the Lord as he communicates the dream that he had to his brothers. As a result they plotted to kill him. Thanks to God’s providence they did not kill him but they threw him in a pit. His brothers then sold him into slavery. The providence of God continued to be seen throughout Joseph life. The providence of God did not prevent problems but brought peace in Joseph circumstance. He went from the pit, to prison, from prison to the palace, and from the place to providing for his people and all of Egypt. One of the key verses in the Joseph story is Genesis 50:20
Genesis 50:20 ESV
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
Paul can command slaves to obey their masters with fear and trembling because they look to their master who has their heart.
Christian slaves are to do this with an authentic heart. They are not to do this for their masters but the maker of man (God). Their motivation is to please the maker! Paul said they do it in verse 6 because they are “slaves” of Christ. Their lives no longer belong to them but to Him. Paul said in:
1 Corinthians 6:20 ESV
for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Their lives are surrendered to his will as we see in verse 6-7. They have the right attitude they do not do this from a bad attitude.
Your master today could be your boss, your teacher, police, government, ect. What is your attitude toward those that God has authority over you? We must be people who are looking to Him as we serve those in authority from a pure heart. Christians do this not for the glory of man but for God;
Colossians 3:23; 1Corinthians 10:31
So we have seen that the spirit-Filled servant obeys from a pure heart by looking to the right person. Now we must see secondly that a:

2. Spirit-filled servants do good by looking to the greater reward (vs.8).

The Spirit-filled person understands that his obedience in doing good leads to blessings. Just as the fruit of children obedience will result in blessings so too will the servants who obey his earthly master. These blessing will come in different forms.
This Spirit-filled servant has the same understanding of Christ when he had joy as he set his face toward Calvary.
Hebrews 12:2 ESV
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
It is imperative for servants to understand that we do not do good for blessings alone.
Yes we are given a wage for the work that we do.
Luke 10:7 (ESV)
And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 ESV
For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
There is a reward for those who labor but we do not do it for labor alone.
We do good because God has been good to us. He has opened our eyes to the goodness which is himself!
1 John 4:19 ESV
We love because he first loved us.
Ultimately God is our gift is our is our gift revealed in the person of his Son.
John Piper expounds on this truth, “God is not glorified if the foundation of our gratitude for the gospel is the worth of its gifts and not the value of the Giver. If gratitude for the gospel is not rooted in the glory of God beneath the gift of God, it is disguised idolatry. May God grant us a heart to see in the gospel the light of the glory of God in the face of Christ. May he grant us to delight in him for who he is, so that all our gratitude for his gifts will be the echo of our joy in the excellency of the Giver!” ― John Piper, God Is the Gospel: Meditations on God's Love as the Gift of Himself
We truly are grateful for this promise from God that no matter how hard your boss pushes you to work, you work for something greater and something that has worth beyond this life. You do good even when your boss is not doing good to you!
Matthew 19:29 ESV
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
Paul is calling the Ephesians to look beyond this life and your current circumstance and to look to the consummations of the coming King. He will make all things new.
Philippians 3:20 ESV
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
This is how servants can do good in the midsts of bad because they have a coming King.

3. Spirit-filled masters do good to their servants by looking to the Master (vs. 9)

Paul addresses here masters and he addresses them the same way he has addressed the church, wives, husbands, children, and slaves with a command.
He says to do good to their slaves. Their posture should be the save as those who are slaves. They are to serve them from a pure heart and to do good to them. Christian slave owners have different motivation and it is the master.
C.E Clinton said,
“Paul now argues that many of the same attitudinal traits that should characterize slaves should also characterize the slave owners. These new attitudes, which were not characteristic of typical Roman slave owners, would lead them to quit threatening (and ultimately, abusing) their slaves.”
Paul not only told them to do good but to stop threatening their slaves. They had the same posture of those who are in the world, who abused their authority and Lorded over people. They used their position for personal pleasure.
R. Kent Huges articulated what Paul is after well when he said, “Paul is telling those in authority is, treat your slaves/employees like you want to be treated. If you want respect, show respect. If you want want sincerity, be sincere. If you want conscientiousness, you be the same. if you want pleasantness, model it. Promote the welfare of your slaves as you expect them to promote yours. Show the same interest in them and in their affairs as you hope they will show in you and yours.”
Paul simply is saying to practice what you preach! Practice the golden rule that the Master instructed.
Matthew 7:12 ESV
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Earthly masters should have the same mind and postures that of the Master had while he was on this earth.
Philippians 2:5–8 ESV
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Mark 10:45 ESV
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
We live in a partiality driven culture and we know that Christ shows know partiality James 2. Earthly masters must not be partial and power that is looking at the wrong person leads to partiality. Following the Master allows earthly masters to use their position of power in a positive way, that brings glory to the master.
To show partiality is to not look at someone as an equal. Brotherhood is key for masters. They are to look at their slaves as brothers and sisters in Christ.
John Stott said, “The concept of the brotherhood was Paul’s innovation and is one of the major themes of Ephesians. For God’s new society is the Father’s household or family, all of whose members are related to one another in Christ as brothers and sisters.:
Stott, J. R. W. (1979). God’s new society: the message of Ephesians (p. 259). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Paul summarizes all God’s new society is the family who all are brothers and sisters in Christ. There is no partiality.
The same Lord of the earthly master master is the same master of the slave. They both have a seat at God’s table.
We have seen that servants and masters are to be Spirit-lead if they are going to please the Master.
A pastor described his life of growing up on a farm. He said that his dad was a farmer and he grew great crops. He asked his dad how he grew such beautiful crops? His dad responded son I will teach you. He then showed his son that it starts with the soil being cared first. Then he showed him how to plow a row to help his crops grow in uniform. He said when you are plowing a row you must pick a spot straight ahead. Do not take your eye of that spot. After you finish turn around and pick another spot, do not take your eyes off that spot either. Keep doing this until you are finish plowing all the rows.
The only way that servants and masters will be seen glorifying Christ with their lives is by keeping your eyes on Jesus. They must not look to the left or to the right.
Are your eyes on Jesus this morning? I’m calling you to surrender your life completely to him so that he can transform your life and make beautiful rows with your life today. Come to him today! Lets pray.
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more