Alba 6-25-2023
BONDSERVANTS OF CHRIST
Ephesians 6:5-9
These days, if you go past most any business there is a sign that says, “Help Wanted”. It looks as if anyone wanted a job, there would be something available.
But in one store window I read there was a sign that said, “No Help Wanted”. And as two men passed by, one said to the other, "You should apply--you’d be great."
I heard of a man applying for a job. The manager reviewing the application said, “I'm sorry I can't hire you, but there isn't enough work to keep you busy.” The applicant replied, “You'd be surprised how little it takes.”
Not everyone wants to work. But Genesis chapter two says that God took Adam and put him in the Garden of Eden to WORK it. Work was a part of God’s original plan. It was a crucial part of His original paradise.
But sin entered the picture and turned our work into labor. Now, work has become drudgery for so many when God intended it to be a delightful part of our every-day lives.
That's why, in Ephesians chapter six, the apostle Paul gives instructions to the workers of the day, most of whom were slaves. Here is what workers and their masters are to do.
Let's read Ephesians 6:5-9. “Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
“And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.”
A bondservant is a slave. Bondservant is the translation of the Greek word doulos, which means “one who is subservient to, and entirely at the disposal of, his master; a slave.” Other translations use the word slave or servant.
Now, when you and I see the word, “slave,” we usually think about the raced-based oppression of African slaves during the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries in our own country. But that was not the case at all in Bible days.
In that time slaves were not distinguishable from anyone else by race, or speech, or clothing. They looked and lived much like everyone else. It is interesting to know that the Roman Empire is estimated to have had as many as 60 million slaves.
So what does the Bible teach about slavery?
Even though the New Testament does not attack the institution of slavery directly, it strikes a deadly blow against it. Galatians 3:28 tells us that in Jesus Christ there is neither slave nor free. Both are equal. The Bible destroys slavery’s foundation.
The sincere application of New Testament truths has repeatedly led to the elimination of slavery. Where the love of Jesus is lived in the power of His Spirit, unjust barriers in relationships are inevitably broken down.
The main thrust of the biblical teaching here is that everyone should live righteously in whatever circumstances he may be. When this letter to the Ephesians was written it is estimated that from one-third to one-half of the populations of large cities like Ephesus and Rome were slaves.
And under Roman law, a bondservant was considered the owner’s personal property. Slaves essentially had no rights and could even be killed with impunity by their owners. But contrary to what one would suppose, not everyone was trying to avoid slavery at all costs.
While it is true that many slaves were horribly mistreated, it is clear that some people actually sold themselves into slavery in order to climb socially, or to obtain particular employment open only to slaves.
Being a slave had the benefit of providing a certain personal and social security. Slaves were used in all kinds of jobs. The Romans delegated almost all work to them. A slave could be a teacher, doctor, or administrator (think back to Joseph).
In many respects, the position of a bond servant could be compared with that of employee today. There are some significant differences, but there are some important similarities. And the position of master could also be compared with that of employers.
That makes this section of scripture applicable to the way things are today with employees and employers. For that matter, it also applies to any situation where we might find ourselves when there is a job to be done.
In verse five the worker is told to “be obedient... in sincerity of heart.” There are jobs that aren't pleasant and it can be tempting to rebel against the need to do them. But verse five gives the reason for obedient, sincere work for the Christian. It is because what is done is to be “as to Christ.”
If that is the motivation, the reason for the obedience changes.
I read of a farmer who had several boys. He worked those boys extremely hard around the farm. One day one of the neighbors pointed out that it wasn’t necessary to work the boys that hard in order to raise a crop.
The farmer, quietly but firmly responded, “I’m not just raising a crop. I’m also raising boys.” That man had a greater purpose in mind. Our Lord understands that things can be hard.
There is a verse in Philippians chapter two that tells us how Jesus came to this world, lowering Himself to come in human form. And then it says that He further, “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8)
Then just a few verses later in Philippians 2:14 it gives a general command to all Christians, not just workers saying, “Do all things without complaining and disputing.” The point is that if Jesus was willing to go to the cross for us, we surely can put up with some discomforts in a job or task.
And no job is too demeaning or difficult that it could not be a vehicle to give praise to God. As Martin Luther said, "The work of housewives and shopkeepers is just as holy as that of a clergyman. To wash dishes or mend shoes for the glory of God is no less a sacred task than preaching the gospel."
And when his name's sake, Martin Luther King, Jr., was speaking to students at the Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia on October 26, 1967, six months before he was assassinated, he told the students, “If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry.
“Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.”
Remember, scripture says that God does not look at the outward appearance, He looks at the heart. The Lord is not only looking at the things we do, but also why we do them. Do we only do something that others will notice so that we will receive praise? Do we only do what we do in order to butter someone up? What is the reason for our actions?
Verses six and seven of our text say that what we do should not be “with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.”
The New Living Translation gives those verses this way, “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. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”
Here's a young man to think about: It wasn’t the job he had wanted. It wasn’t the job that his family had planned for him. The environment was difficult. The location was far away from his home and from those he loved. And the people he worked with were difficult.
They didn’t believe what he believed, they worshiped other gods, lived different lives, had different priorities. And besides all of that, this job wasn’t exactly a career move that for which he volunteered.
Do you know who we're talking about? It's Daniel in the Old Testament. When Daniel was just a youth he was taken captive by the Babylonians. But he did his job well.
You know, there might have been other workers who said to Daniel, “Daniel you are just an exile, this isn’t your country, the king doesn’t believe the way you do. Why do you work so hard all the time? Why do you care so much?”
And because of what the scripture tells us about the life of Daniel, I'm sure his answer would be, “Because, I’m really serving my God. I’m doing my best for Him. He’s my boss. He is the one I look to please as I work here in Babylon.”
The Christian worker is not be guided by false, ulterior motives, but to serve his or her employer conscientiously and with sincerity. This kind of inner commitment only takes place if in serving an earthly employer one is really showing obedience to a heavenly Master, Jesus Christ.
If one cannot honor and respect an employer for the employer’s own sake, a believer needs to respect a boss for the Lord’s sake. That adds another dimension to any work. Because then the work is not just for an employer. But it is for the Lord! That makes all the difference in the world.
And speaking of employers, they are not left out. Because verse nine says, “And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening.” The same things? That means show respect for the worker the way they expect the worker to respect them, and do what they do as if serving the Lord.
The boss is to forsake or abandon threats. Threats never motivate people over the long-haul. They really de-motivate and demoralize. And employers are not always right.
There is a story of a certain CEO who was scheduled to speak at an important convention, so he asked one of his employees, Jenkins, to write him a punchy, 20-minute speech.
When the CEO returned from giving the speech at the big event, he was furious. He tore into Jenkins: “What's the idea of writing me a speech that lasted an hour? Half the audience walked out before I finished.”
Jenkins was baffled. “I wrote you a 20-minute speech,” he replied. “I also gave you the two extra copies you asked for.” (Cleanlaugh List, at cybersalt.org; submitted by Mark Moring)
The employee had done what was asked of him. The employer should have been aware enough to know that! If we do the best we can do, the Lord takes notice. Verse 8 says, “knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free”
This was really revolutionary at the time Paul wrote this. Very few in his day would have dared to level the playing field, calling master and slave equals.
He didn’t start an anti-slavery campaign, but you can certainly tell by his writings that he considered all people to be equals in God’s sight. This is why he writes to Christian masters the way he does.
See, from God’s view the status or position we hold does not add anything to our value in His sight. It is whose we are that determines our value, not who we are!
So, masters/bosses should show respect, be sincere, treat workers in the same way they would Jesus. And treat the workers the way they themselves want to be treated.
Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s, used to say that the three most important things in his life were God, family, and McDonald’s and that when he got to the office, the order was reversed. As Christians we should never reverse that order.
Because we are all bondservants of Christ if we have yielded our lives to His Lordship. Romans 6:16-18 asks,“16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
“17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”
All it takes is obedience to the Lord from the heart to deliver us from the consequences of our sins. Jesus' death on the cross pays the penalty that we deserve to pay.
He sets us free from the bondage of sin so that we may serve Him, knowing that in Christ, we all have the same Master.
CLOSE:
I usually look for a story to close to try to wrap up the essence of the scripture message. But with this message about workers and their bosses coming after the instruction to husbands and wives in chapter five, and to parents and children here in chapter six, I feel that there is something important to say.
It is that these verses point out the God ordained roles of authority, all of which come back to the Lord. Did you notice that wives are to submit to their husband as to the LORD. And husbands are to love their wives the way the LORD loves the church.
And children are to obey their parents in the LORD. Fathers are to teach and admonish their children in the LORD. And here in the verses we have looked at today, workers and bosses both are to do their work as to the LORD.
If He is truly our LORD, He will have something to say about how we live our life and how we think, and how we spend our time and money. And where we invest our energy.
We give Him this hour on Sunday, but we need to be sure that He is LORD the rest of the week as well. We need to let His Word we hear and read take root in the soil of our lives.
We must do that because He is LORD, and we are simply His bondservants.
