7/23/2019 A Comamd for Servants

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The duties of servants and masters, Eph. 6:5-8

Apostles Paul addresses this letter to “ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to

the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and peace,

from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ! Eph":"#$

• %ome &ood part of the letter spea's about the &eneral duty of true Christians“%ubmittin& yoursel(es one to another in the fear of God! Eph ):$"

" *i(es to their husbands, and duties of their husbands ):$$#++

$ Children to their parents, and duties of their parents, :"#-

+ %er(ants to their .asters, and duties of their masters, :)#/0 Apostle Paul

tau&ht it because he had e1perience about wor'2 e& Acts "/:"#+

3he way for ser(ants to be submissi(e to the masters is throu&h 45E67E8CE li'e children to

their parents, “%er(ants, be obedient to them that are your masters0! Eph:)

• Obedience in what is right, .acArthur says “They are to obey in everything and

at a times, the ony e!ception being when they are instructed to do something

immora 9Joseph Gen+:;#<, idoatrous 96an+:"-#"/<, basphemous 

9"%am$$:";<, or the li'e! E& “3hen Peter and the other apostles answered and said,

*e ou&ht to obey God rather than men! Act ):$

• "according to the fesh# *hether they are unbelie(ers or belie(ers, “"3i :" Let as

many ser(ants as are under the yo'e count their own masters worthy of all honour,

that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed "3i :$ And they that ha(e

 belie(in& masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren2 but rather do

them ser(ice, because they are faithful and belo(ed, parta'ers of the benefit 3hese

thin&s teach and e1hort!

$ccording to the fesh - =our masters in secular thin&s2 for they ha(e no authority o(er yourreli&ion, nor o(er your souls %ar&e

according to the fesh2 or >carnal masters>, as the ?ul&ate Latin (ersion renders it2 e(en

thou&h they are unre&enerate men, and are in a state of nature, and only mind the thin&s of the

flesh, yet they are to be obeyed in their lawful commands2 or >in thin&s pertainin& to the

flesh>, as the Arabic (ersion renders it2 in thin&s temporal, which concern the body, and this

temporal life2 not in thin&s spiritual and reli&ious, or that belon& to conscience, and which are

contrary to them: or >accordin& to your flesh>, as the Ethiopic (ersion renders it2 si&nifyin&

that they are only masters o(er their bodies, not their consciences2 and that their power only

e1tends to corporeal thin&s, and can last no lon&er than while they are in the flesh2 see

Job@+:"2 and obedience is to be yielded to them 'i

( )eanings* +. %hristian bosses who had %hristian servants wor&ing for them, .

ecuar bosses to whom %hristian ervants used to wor&.

(. $ccording to the fesh - 3his is desi&ned, e(idently, to limit the obli&ation to obedience

3he meanin& is, that they had control o(er “the body, the flesh! 3hey had the power to

command the ser(ice which the body could render2 but they were not lords of the spirit

arnes* e&arded in their merely human relation

/irst duty of the ser(ants to obey their masters2 verse 5, “with fear and trembing# 0hi.

:5,+-+5.

econd duty of the ser(ant is to obey their master "in singeness of your heart, as unto

%hrist1# " 3he -:"B#"$

7/23/2019 A Comamd for Servants

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• "as unto %hrist# Christian life is a life of ser(ice to him 78 FA73FDL8E%%,

.att$):$-

 Third duty is to obey their masters was in verse 2 “*ith good wi doing service, as to the

Lord, and not to men:!

• Good will is doin& the best, Ecl:"B, om"$:"", Col +:$+

• “0as to the Lord, and not to men:! ow is it ?erse says “8ot with eyeser(ice, asmenpleasers2! $in&s ):"#/

" “but as the ser(ants of Christ, doing the wi of 'od from the heart2!

ometimes 'od3s perfect wi is to give us hard bosses to ma&e us to suffer

to perfect us and estabish us, " Pet $:"/#$+, ):"B

$ A&ar had to be submitted to %arai Titus :4-+

• 3here is a reward if we obey our bosses, “nowin& that whatsoe(er &ood thin& any

man doeth, the same shall he recei(e of the Lord, whether he be bond or free! Eph :/

" Joseph, 6aniel, .ardoueo were rewarded here on this life

 )ac$rthur has a testimony concerning it, “3he story is told of an elderly missionary

couple who were returnin& home on a ship after many years of sacrificial ser(ice in Africa4n the same ship was 3heodore oose(elt, who had Hust completed a hi&hly successful bi&

&ame hunt As the ship doc'ed in 8ew =or' harbor, thousands of wellIwishers and doens of

reporters lined the pier to welcome oose(elt home 5ut not a sin&le person was there to

welcome the missionaries As the couple rode to a hotel in a ta1i, the man complained to his

wife, “7t Hust doesnKt seem ri&ht *e &i(e forty years of our li(es to Jesus Christ to win souls

in Africa, and nobody 'nows or cares when we return =et the president &oes o(er there for a

few wee's to 'ill some animals and the whole world ta'es notice! 5ut as they prayed

to&ether that ni&ht before retirin&, the Lord seemed to say to them, “6o you 'now why you

ha(enKt recei(ed your reward yet, .y children 7t is because you are not home yet!

$nd, masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, &nowing that both their )aster andyours is in heaven, and there is no partiaity with im. 9:<

PaulKs closin& remar's about the mutual submission of %piritIfilled belie(ers are addressed to masters, and, by e1tension, to Christian employers of e(ery sort 3heir attitude toward their wor'ers is to be basically the sameas that which the wor'ers should ha(e for them: do the same things to them

3he antecedent of the same things most li'ely is the command at the end of (erse , “doin& the will of Godfrom the heart,! on which (erses ;I/ are a commentary A Christian employerKs relationship to his employeesshould ha(e the same moti(ation and &oal as a Christian wor'erKs relationship to his employer: the desire toobey and please the Lord An employer is to use his authority “as to the Lord,! Hust as wor'ers are to submit toauthority “as to the Lord! 3hat is an e1pression of their mutual submission in bein& “subHect to one another inthe fear of Christ! 9):$"< A Christian employerKs first wor', Hust as a Christian employeeKs first wor', is to do

GodKs will and to manifest Christli'eness in all that he does e ma'es business decisions first of all on the basis

of GodKs standards of ri&hteousness, truth, and honestysee'in& to manifest the nature and will of his hea(enlyFather in e(erythin& he does e deals with his employees on the basis of their own welfare and best interests aswell as of those of business e deals with them fairly because that is is LordKs will e treats them withrespect because to do so is to respect and honor the Lord 3he %piritIfilled employer is careful to give up

threatening 3he term used su&&ests the idea of loosenin& up, or releasin& e uses his authority and power as

little as possible and does not throw his wei&ht around or lord it o(er those under him e is ne(er abusi(e orinconsiderate e realies that his own authority, thou&h GodI&i(en, is strictly functional and temporary e'nows that he and his wor'ers ali'e are under the supreme authority of God, that their )aster and his is not onearth but in heaven 3he faithful Christian employer 'nows that he is a fellow ser(ant of Jesus Christ with hisemployees, and is accountable to the same )aster

e also 'nows that before God he is no more important or worthy in himself than the least of his employees,

 because there is no partiaity with im 9cf Acts "B:+-2 om $:""2 James $:< And he plays no fa(orites because God plays no fa(orites GodKs impartiality is the closin& truth in PaulKs discourse on bein& “subHect to

one another in the fear of Christ! 9):$"< %piritIfilled belie(erswhether husbands or wi(es, parents or children,employers or employeesare to be mutually submissi(e because they are eually lo(ed, eually cared for, andeually subser(ient to a common )aster, their %a(ior and Lord, Jesus Christ