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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to the book of Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 6. We conclude 
a particular unit in the book that begins in chapter 5 at verse 
22 and ends in chapter 6 at verse 9. I will read the entirety of chapter 
6, though, and then our focus will be on verses 5 to 9. So, 
beginning in verse 1, Children, obey your parents in the Lord, 
for this is right. Honor your father and mother, 
which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be 
well with you, and you may live long on the earth. And you fathers, 
do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in 
the training and admonition of the Lord. 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 
eye service 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. Finally, 
my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his 
might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able 
to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle 
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against 
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against 
spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore 
take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand 
in the evil day. And having done all, to stand. 
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having 
put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with 
the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the 
shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the 
fiery darts of the wicked one. and take the helmet of salvation 
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying 
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful 
to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the 
saints. And for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may 
open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 
for which I am an ambassador in chains, that in it I may speak 
boldly as I ought to speak. but that you also may know my 
affairs and how I am doing. Tychicus, a beloved brother and 
faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to 
you, whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you 
may know our affairs and that he may comfort your hearts. Peace 
to the brethren and love with faith from God the Father and 
the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love 
our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you that 
you've not left us without instructions in terms of sanctification. We 
thank you for justification, for that salvation that Paul 
so wonderfully explains in chapters one and two in this book. And 
we thank you as well for chapters four to six, which instruct us 
as the blood-bought children of God, how we are to live, how 
we are to relate to one another. So we pray now that you would 
guide us by the Holy Spirit We pray that you would forgive us 
for all of our sin and unrighteousness. We pray that you would be glorified 
in this glad hour, and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. Well, we are in the practical 
section of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, and here specifically 
in what has been called a household code. something that was not 
unique to Christianity, but there were philosophers and ethicists 
who would give instructions to people at that time on how they 
were to conduct themselves in their various relations. Remember, 
the broader context goes back to chapter 5 at verses 18 to 
21. So we have, I'm sorry, verses 
15 to 21. I need my glasses or I can't 
see those things. So from 15 to 21, we're exhorted 
to walk in wisdom. We're told or prohibited from 
being drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but to be filled 
with the Spirit. And filling with the Spirit looks 
like speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual 
songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord, giving 
thanks always for all things to God the Father, and then submitting 
to one another in the fear of God. So Paul takes that principle 
in verse 21 and then concretely applies it in the several relationships 
that he deals with. First he has wives and husbands, 
then he has children and parents, and now we come to bondservants 
and masters here in verses 5 to 9. So I want to look first at 
the exhortation to bondservants in verses five to eight, and 
then secondly, the exhortation of masters in verse nine. Now this is not unique in the 
New Testament. It's not unique in the Old Testament. 
The word we have translated as bondservants is literally slaves. 
There is a distinction in the Greek words. This is slaves. 
There's another word for servant. Usually the word deacon is where 
we are. The deacon is that particular 
word. You have deacons that serve in 
the context of the church. The civil government is referred 
to as a deacon. And then as well, you have various 
persons that are servants rather than the church or in other spheres, 
and they're referred to as deacons. So this deals with slavery. And 
it deals with slavery, not just here, but you have it in 1 Corinthians 
7, you have it in Colossians 3, which is parallel to Ephesians 
6, and then you have 1 Timothy 6, Titus 2, the book of Philemon, 
and then 1 Peter 2, verses 18 to 25. So it's not a unique situation 
in the New Testament. It's not a unique situation in 
the Old Testament. What really is unique is that 
we live in a day and age where there isn't slavery. For most 
of human history there has been, and so when we come to this particular 
passage, the apostle isn't necessarily endorsing it. He's not as well 
challenging the civil magistrate to end slavery, but rather he 
is speaking God's truth to a particular situation that men, redeemed 
men, redeemed women, would find themselves in. And so when we 
come, first of all, to this command to our exhortation of bondservants, 
we ought to notice first the command to obey, and then secondly, 
the manner of compliance. So look at the text in verse 
5. Bondservants, be obedient to 
those who are your masters according to the flesh. Now, with reference 
to the practice of slavery in Paul's time, there's a famous 
book, it's a history of early Christianity by a fellow named 
Everett Ferguson. And he says, it is estimated 
that one in five of the residents in Rome was a slave. Again, it 
was widespread, and the slavery wasn't always what we might be 
inclined to think. There were slaves that were utilized 
in terms of civil service. Slaves, I think, could own slaves 
themselves, and so it was a widespread practice that obtained. So he 
says, it is estimated that one in five of the residents in Rome 
was a slave. A proposal in the Senate that 
slaves be required to wear a distinctive dress was defeated lest the slaves 
learn how numerous they were. So there was this recommendation 
that slaves wear a uniform, but somebody with a bit of wisdom 
said, wait a minute, if all the slaves recognize themselves, 
then they might band together and rise up against us. So that 
was crushed. He goes on to say the legal status 
of a slave was that of a thing. So that Paul addresses slaves 
here, distinguishes Paul from, say, Aristotle. In fact, Aristotle 
defined a slave as living property in his book on politics. In his 
book on ethics, he said the slave is a living tool and the tool 
a lifeless slave. So again, that Paul addresses 
redeemed slaves shows their dignity and their equal status in terms 
of nature. Now there's different status 
in terms of masters and slaves, but essentially we're the same. 
And when it comes to redemption, those distinctions are obliterated 
in terms of a spiritual emphasis. But temporally, they're not suspended, 
and that's why Paul is writing here. The idea that Christ redeemed 
a slave doesn't necessarily mean He is now temporarily a free 
man. He doesn't get a career as a 
baseball player. He doesn't get a career as an 
astronaut. He doesn't get a career in business. He's still a slave, 
and that's why Paul addresses him. Some scholars estimate that 
slaves comprised about one-third of the population of a city like 
Ephesus. And if we ask the question, how 
did persons end up in slavery? It wasn't based on ethnicity. 
It wasn't a racist sort of a thing. Ferguson, again, says the condition 
of slavery might result from war, piracy and brigandage, exposure 
of a child, sale of a child or self to pay off debts, condemnation 
in the law courts, or birth to a slave mother. And so that Paul 
addresses slaves, he is doing so in distinction from the ethicists 
and the persons of his own day. In fact, another fellow says, 
slaves were not normally addressed in household codes since attention 
was given to how masters should treat their slaves. Like women 
and children, Paul treats all groups, including slaves, as 
ethically responsible and as equal members in the body of 
Christ. And then in terms of the necessity 
of the exhortation, you've got the general struggles of life. 
I mean, what are we looking at in this particular passage? Verse 
21 in chapter 5, submitting to one another in the fear of Christ. 
And then specific spheres of submission, wives to their husbands, 
children to their parents. Why do you think Paul has to 
address that? because generally we struggle 
with that. You're not the boss over me. 
That is something that is in the hearts of all men. We don't 
want to be governed. We don't want to be taught. We 
don't want to be lectured. We don't want to be scolded. 
We don't want anybody above us. And so the general problem of 
that is necessary for the apostle to address. But then specifically 
the problem of a slave. He's now redeemed in the blood 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He may come to despise his current 
condition. I'm a free man in Jesus. I have 
to be a free man in my pursuit of business. I have to be a free 
man to be a cowboy or whatever it is that I want to be. But 
as well, he might despise his master. You know, his master 
is holding these things over him when he's free in the Lord 
Jesus Christ. So the apostle addresses the 
slaves with the specific counsel or exhortation that they need 
to hear. Notice the text again. Of course we're to be obedient 
to our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, but this sort of phrase, 
according to the flesh, indicates the slave-master relationship 
in the temporal sphere. As Matthew Poole says, Christian 
liberty doth not take away civil servitude. And then John Calvin 
made the observation, lest they should vainly imagine that carnal 
freedom had been procured for them by the gospel. In Christ 
we are new creatures. In Christ, all things have become 
new. Spiritually speaking, we're justified 
freely by grace. We're being sanctified by the 
power of the Spirit. We're going to glory in terms 
of our final resting state. But in this present evil age, 
we're still men, we're still women, we're still workers, we're 
still employers, we're still in this world. And so the apostle, 
in the larger context, go back to Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 
1, where he says, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech 
you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. In 
Philippians 1.27, which is a bit of a parallel to that, he says 
to walk in a manner, let your conduct rather, be worthy of 
the gospel. So as a conquered by grace slave, 
you need to do so in a manner that is consistent with Christianity. 
As a conquered blood-bought master, you're to do so in a manner that 
is consistent with Christianity. That's the emphasis that we find 
here. So, with reference to the admonition, 
he says, be obedient to those who are your masters according 
to the flesh. That includes believing masters. 
Look at verse 9. And you masters, he's addressing 
them in the church in Ephesus, 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. So, of course, the slave 
will obey his Christian master. But Peter tells us that he's 
also to obey his non-Christian master. In fact, you can turn 
to 1 Peter 2, where you see that emphasis. I mentioned this this 
morning, that our command to do a particular thing is not 
conditioned upon that particular thing. In other words, it's not 
just that a wife has to submit to her believing husband, but 
Peter tells her she needs to submit even to her unbelieving 
husband, according to 1 Peter 3.1. With reference to slaves, 
notice in verse 18 of chapter 2, servants, be submissive to 
your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, 
but also to the harsh. Probably the good and gentle 
are believers or at least common grace having men that aren't 
tyrants, but also to the harsh, most likely the unconverted, 
most likely the unbeliever, most likely the one that is severe 
in his treatment of his slaves. So salvation in Christ does not 
mitigate the temporal obligations that are upon us. We don't come 
to the office of our boss and say, I'm redeemed now. You should 
promote me to vice president of the company. That's not how 
we're to interpret salvation by grace through faith in our 
Lord Jesus Christ. So the command is very simple, 
be obedient. Like the other times we see this 
command, it's qualified insofar as He's not commanding you to 
sin. If the master commands the slave to engage in criminal enterprise, 
if the master commands the slave to drive the getaway car while 
he goes in and robs the bank, the slave must obey God rather 
than men. He is not duty-bound in that 
particular instance to render obedience. He should do it respectfully, 
to be sure, but he must obey God rather than men. Now, in 
terms of the manner of compliance, he deals with that at the end 
of verse five, all the way into verse seven. Notice, he says 
at the end of verse five, with fear and trembling, in sincerity 
of heart, as to Christ, not with eye service 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. Now, there's 
three things that I think he's saying here. First, the obedience 
of the slave to the master must be heartfelt. It's not just this 
external compliance because I have to do it. It must be heartfelt. 
Secondly, it must be Christ-centered. Notice the religious obligation 
involved on the part of the slave as to the Lord, your bondservant 
of Christ. And then thirdly, it is to be 
future oriented or eschatological in nature. In other words, his 
present performance in terms of obedience to the master has 
a future orientation according to verse eight, knowing that 
there is a day of judgment, knowing that you will appear before the 
high king of heaven, knowing that you will give an account 
of deeds done in the body, whether good or bad. But let's look first 
at the obedience that is to be heartfelt. Notice first, with 
fear and trembling. That doesn't mean the slave always 
runs from the master and hides in the closet. The fear and trembling 
there probably means with reverence, with respect, with humility, 
with an attitude of correctness before the master. In fact, John 
Gill says, "...with great humility and respect, with reverence of 
them, and giving honor to them, with carefulness not to offend 
them, with submission to their reproofs and corrections, and 
with fear of punishment, but more especially with the fear 
of God being by that influenced and constrained to obedience." 
So it is to be heartfelt relative or specifically with reference 
to this fear and trembling. Again, this is not just the slave 
that is addressed this way. The apostle tells Christians 
in general they must do this in 1 Corinthians 7. But then 
notice he says under this heading of heartfelt, he says it with 
sincerity. at the end of verse five, in 
sincerity of heart as to Christ. And he's gonna flesh out those 
details specifically in verse six, but the attitude or the 
idea is just that, you need to be sincere. In other words, you're 
not just going through the motions because you have to do it. You're 
blood-bought now. You're justified freely by God's 
grace. How then are you supposed to conduct yourself? You're not 
supposed to be the mopey, broody slave that just whines incessantly. No, you're to render service 
under your slave, or under your master rather, knowing that it's 
the Lord Christ whom you serve, ultimately. So there needs to 
be sincerity. And again, he fleshes that out 
now, specifically in verse six. He says, not with eye service 
as men pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of 
God from the heart. I think the idea is clear. Ecclesiastes 
9.10, whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. 
In the parallel passage in 1 Timothy chapter six, the apostle says 
that the slave's conduct has direct bearing on the word of 
God. 1 Timothy 6, verse 1, "...let 
as many bond-servants as are under the yoke count their own 
masters worthy of all honor." And then the purpose clause is 
simple, "...so that the name of God and His doctrine may not 
be blasphemed." In other words, if the slave is contrary, if 
the slave professes faith in Jesus but he's lazy, he's insincere, 
He only works when the boss is watching. That boss is gonna 
conclude this Christianity, this religion that my slave got really 
doesn't matter. It really doesn't measure up. 
It really doesn't produce any practical effect or yield any 
net effect. So when it comes to this, the 
emphasis is very clear. But then notice the obedience 
is to be Christocentric. So verse six. That word is wonderful. Not with eye service. Just going 
to define that from BDAG. Service that is performed only 
to make an impression in the owner's presence. Eye service. Pretty dazzling, huh? It's that 
thought of, hey, the boss is coming. Look busy. The boss is 
coming. Pick up the broom. The boss is 
coming. Start making widgets. Now, the 
apostle condemns that. That's not sincere. That's insincere. When you're only seeking to be 
viewed by men, and you're not thinking in terms of God, who's 
over all, you're not functioning as a Christian slave ought. And 
then notice, not with eye service, as men pleasers. Paradoxically, 
when you shoot to only please men, you are ultimately going 
to disappoint them. But as a Christian believer, 
when your aim is the glory of God, guess who benefits from 
that? Men, your wife benefits if you're 
a Christian believer, your husband benefits if you're a Christian 
believer, your children benefit, your employer benefits, your 
body politic benefits, even your cat benefits, as Lloyd-Jones 
said. You don't come home drunk at 
night and kick the cat across the living room. You're now a 
redeemed, blood-bought child of God. You've read the Proverbs, 
and you see that a righteous man has regard for his beast. 
That prohibits kicking the cat across the living room. So when 
it comes to men-pleasing, paradoxically, it doesn't deliver the goods. 
Sincerity of heart means not with eye service as men pleasers, 
but then notice what he goes on to say in terms of that Christ-centered 
reference. He says, 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 slave of 
an earthly master is a slave to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's 
very clear in this passage. The slave that obeys, not actually, 
the slave that is a slave to the Lord Jesus Christ may be 
a slave to the earthly master. The slave that obeys the master 
is doing the will of God from the heart. Now, brethren, I'm 
not sure what all slaves did in this particular context, but 
let's just say, for instance, they made widgets for the slave. 
That's just a little object that is manufactured, and then you 
take it to market and sell it. Probably the slave making widgets 
didn't think, I'm doing service as unto the Lord. I'm doing service 
unto God himself. You see, that's the glory of 
the Christian gospel. It dignifies those things that 
we set our hands to. As long as it's not criminal, 
as long as it's not prohibited, there's dignity in every form 
of work. Remember years ago, we used to 
go to Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver to preach on Tuesday 
nights, and there would be a whole lot of people that would come 
in there, and they were, you know, looking for a free meal. 
They'd have to sit through a sermon or two. but they'd get their 
free meal, and then we'd typically hit them with gospel tracts, 
or give out Bibles, or that sort of thing. Once in a while, you'd 
meet a fellow who said, I just want to work, not just for money, 
but for the dignity that's involved with working. That's right. We've lost something of that 
in this present generation. It's hard to find employees. 
It's hard to hire people. It's hard to get them to be able 
to walk and chew gum at the same time. There is that sort of approach 
to work or labor now that it's bad or it's something beneath 
us or it's below us. No, it's what God made us to 
do. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. So the 
slave manufacturing for his master was engaged in doing the will 
of God from the heart. The slave that obeys the master 
is doing so with goodwill. He wishes his master prosperity. He wants him to profit. He wants 
him to benefit from his slavery or his servants. And the slave 
that obeys the master is doing so in a Christian context. Again, 
look at the context. Verse 5, as to Christ. Verse 
6a, as bondservants of Christ. Verse 6b, doing the will of God 
from the heart. And then verse 7, as to the Lord. What's Paul's point? Paul's point 
is that the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, has washed you from 
all sin. The glories of Ephesians 1, 3-14, 
where God predestined you unto adoption as sons. The glory of 
Ephesians 2, 1-10, by grace you are saved through faith, and 
that not of yourselves. All that's true with reference 
to the slave. But it doesn't free him, it doesn't emancipate 
him from his earthly bondage. And so in that earthly bondage, 
he has to conduct himself in a particularly Christian way. 
He is to evidence and manifest the grace of God in his own life 
by putting in a good day of work, doing goodwill for his master, 
and seeking the man's prosperity and not his destruction. And 
then thirdly and finally under this head, the obedience is to 
be future oriented or eschatological. Eschatology simply means a study 
of or doctrine of end things, end times or last things. Notice 
that in verse eight. Why does the slave do this? Because 
he's got an eye on the future, knowing that whatever good anyone 
does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is 
a slave or free. The believing slave, slave lives 
in light of the Day of Judgment. Now, he doesn't do this service 
in order to be pronounced innocent on the Day of Judgment. The slave 
doesn't think, well, by making widgets, by promoting my master's 
good, by earning him profit, by making sure that he doesn't 
falter, then I'm going to earn my way into heaven. No, the rest 
of the epistle mitigates against that idea. We're not saved by 
our works. We're not saved by our efforts. 
We're not saved by our doing. We're saved by God's grace through 
faith in Jesus Christ. The consequence of God's grace 
through faith in Jesus Christ means that we live in a particular 
manner. We walk in a manner that is consistent with our high calling. 
We do what Paul says in Ephesians 4.1. We do what Paul says in 
Ephesians 5.21, and we see that spelled out in our interpersonal 
relationships in 522 to 619. The blood-bought child of God 
must live consistently with that gospel. And that's precisely 
what he's thinking here. He knows that whatever good he 
does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is 
a slave or free. The believer functions in sanctification 
the way that he does because of the doctrine of justification. 
He has been saved by grace. The works simply manifest or 
demonstrate, rather, the reality of saving faith in his heart. 
That's the way Matthew 25, 31 to 46 reads. When the Lord Jesus 
talks about that separation between the sheep and the goats, The 
sheep are already sheep, brethren. They don't get sheep status at 
the Day of Judgment. They are sheep, and their sheep 
status is vindicated or demonstrated by what they had done in this 
present evil age. And so this particular slave 
is called to reflect upon the reality that he'll stand before 
the Lord Jesus Christ and give an account of deeds done in the 
body, whether good or ill. And he's also certain of a comprehensive 
judgment. Notice, knowing that whatever 
good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether 
he is a slave or free. Again, the apostle dignifies 
slavery. The apostle says that you have 
equal status in terms of free man, and you will stand before 
the Lord God Most High on the Day of Judgment. This isn't a 
living tool. This isn't some inner object. 
This isn't some, you know, animal that can happen to walk without 
dragging his knuckles. This is a human being. He is 
created in the image of God. He is renewed because of the 
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, he has dignity. He 
has status with God. And so this is a great encouragement. 
The Lord doesn't say, well, you know, the master's over here, 
but you slaves, you're second tier. No, they're all going to 
stand before that judgment seat of our blessed God. So slaves, 
be obedient to those who are your masters according to the 
flesh. Notice secondly, the exhortation of masters in verse nine. The 
statement is simple. You masters do the same things 
to them. That does not mean that the master 
is to be obedient to the slave. That's not, can't be what it 
means. You don't be a master with slaves 
and say, I'm going to serve you slave. That's just counter, not 
just cultural, that's just not the way it's supposed to be read. 
The master is under the sovereign authority of Christ, and as such 
he must conduct himself in a manner that is worthy of the gospel. 
He's got the same connection to Ephesians 4.1, and to Philippians 
1.27, as does the slave. The master is to do the same 
things, not obedience, but sincerity of heart, kindness and affection 
and love, a desire for the welfare of the slave, a desire for the 
prosperity of the slave, a desire such that the slave has a good 
slave life. That's indicative of a Christian 
master. Remember last week I read Westminster 
Larger Catechism with reference to superiors and inferiors. What 
is required of superiors toward their inferiors? In the context, 
husbands are superiors. Again, not a comment on essential 
nature, not a comment that men are somehow more image-bearer 
than women. No, men and women are the same essentially, but 
in terms of function, in terms of role distinction, husbands 
love your wives as Christ loved the church, wives submit to your 
own husbands as unto the Lord. Children are not inferior at 
the level of essence. They're not, you know, 70% people. That's just not the case. They're 
100% people, but they're inferior with reference to the superior, 
namely their parents. And in this context, obviously 
the superior is the master. What is required of superiors 
toward their inferiors? Answer. It is required of superiors, 
according to that power they receive from God, and that relation 
wherein they stand, to love, pray for, and bless their inferiors, 
to instruct, counsel, and admonish them, countenancing, commending, 
and rewarding such as do well, and discountenancing, reproving, 
and chastising such as do ill, protecting and providing for 
them all things necessary for soul and body, and by grave, 
wise, holy, and exemplary carriage, to procure glory to God, honor 
to themselves, and so to preserve that authority which God has 
put upon them. So there is responsibility and 
the apostle addresses that. He doesn't say slaves knuckle 
under. Masters, you get to do whatever it is you want. No, 
a redeemed master has obligation relative to the way that he functions 
as a master. He cannot be a despot. He cannot 
be a tyrant. He cannot give the whip. He cannot 
do those things that are not righteous and given by God. So the same things does not mean 
obedience on the part of the master toward the slave. The 
same things refers to the heart disposition of believing masters 
toward their slaves. And again, saved and unsaved. The slaves is saved, a slave 
being a happier situation for the master. But if the slave 
is unsaved, he still has to treat him with love, respect, and dignity. He can't say, well, you're the 
unsaved slave. So you go eat gruel. and I'm going to give, you know, 
hamburger helper to the to the same slave. That's not what he 
does. He has that dignity with reference 
to both of them. Gill says, this does not refer 
to service and obedience, but to singleness of heart, benevolence, 
humanity, and a regard to Christ and the will of God and to the 
doing of good things and to the performance of their duty as 
they would have their servants to do theirs. And then he gets 
specific with the manner of compliance here. Notice in verse 9, the 
second part of verse 9, so you masters do the same things to 
them, giving up threatening. Well, why do you think Paul says 
that? I've never been a master to slaves, but I'm guessing that 
the threat would probably be utilized in many instances to 
get the slave to perform. There's a bit of an analogy in 
terms of parenting as well. Parents, have you ever threatened 
your children with, you know, certain chastisement or discipline 
in order to get them to comply? Don't look at me puzzled. You 
know you have. The Apostle Paul deals with real 
life, real world situations, giving up threatening. If prior 
to your conversion to Jesus Christ, you exercise that kind of despotism 
over your slave, where you crack the whip, where you threatened 
him with deprivation, where you threatened him to go out and 
sleep in a shack. If you have that propensity, 
give it up. That is not consistent Christian 
behavior. You're not supposed to rule by 
force. You're supposed to rule with 
love. You're supposed to engage in a manner that is consistent 
with the calling of God upon your life. And then the encouragement 
goes in the same direction that the slaves had in verse 8. Notice, knowing, so the slave 
knows something according to verse 8, but the master knows 
something according to verse 9. Knowing that your own master 
also is in heaven and there is no partiality with him. So that 
indicates the accountability of the master. He's not a law 
unto himself. He doesn't have absolute authority 
over this person. He is not a tyrant. He is not 
a king. He's not a lord. Rather, he is 
one under the master, the Lord Jesus Christ, and as a result 
of that sovereign rule, he must comply with his sovereign's directions. As well, this eschatology again, 
or future orientation. Notice the text, knowing that 
your own master also is in heaven and there is no partiality with 
him. When we see that clause, there 
is no partiality with him, we think Deuteronomy 10, 2 Chronicles 
19, Acts 10, Romans 2, Galatians 2, Colossians 3, 1 Peter 1, where 
it's rehearsed over and over again that there's no partiality 
with God. What does that statement refer to? Well, it refers to 
a context of judgment. God does not judge based on ethnicity. Does it judge based on economic 
status? Oh, you're poor. Off you go into 
the pit of fire. No, there's no partiality with 
him. He's no respecter of persons. It kind of points toward that 
eschatological future. So the master understands his 
role under the master. The master understands that eventually 
he's going to stand before the one in whom there is no partiality. So there is accountability, there 
is eschatology, but as well there's imitation. If there's no partiality 
with God in the way that he treats his people, there ought not to 
be partiality with a master in the way that he treats his slaves. 
So the apostle not only exhorts slaves and masters, but he specifies 
the means of compliance for both groups. Now, in conclusion, just 
a couple of thoughts. First, the place of slavery in 
the first century. The apostle addressed slaves. Again, that underscores their 
dignity. He treated them as Christians, not as property or as a living 
tool. Secondly, he exhorted masters. 
By commanding them, specifically how they were to engage in their 
duties, he showed their accountability. He showed that they had gospel 
orientation that necessitated a particular life and manner 
in which they conducted themselves. Thirdly, the apostle regulated 
the relationship between slaves and masters according to God's 
will. Again, brethren, Paul's not endorsing it. Oh, slavery 
is the best possible conception of things there is. He's not 
challenging it at the level of the Roman Empire. Did he go to 
Nero's house? Did he go to Caesar's? Did he 
hold up a sign outside? No more slavery. It doesn't say 
that. I mean, maybe he did. I kind of don't think he did 
because he was busy traversing thousands and thousands and thousands 
and thousands of miles preaching Christ and Him crucified. You 
don't get this sense that he picketed outside of Nero's residence. But with reference to the institution 
of slavery, I would suggest, fourthly, the apostle recognizes 
the benefit of freedom. In 1 Corinthians 7.21, were you 
called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it, 
but if you can be made free, rather use it. One of the interesting 
things we've seen in our studies in the book of Leviticus is in 
Leviticus 25, God is pro-liberty. Now, slavery exists. Slavery is a reality, but all 
things being equal, prior to the fall of Adam and Eve, there 
would be no slavery, right? Prior to the fall of Adam and 
Eve, there was no divorce. Prior to the fall of Adam and 
Eve, there was no abortion. There was no infanticide. There 
was no, you know, maid. None of that obtained. But in 
a post-fallen world, there's all kinds of stuff that happens 
now. And in God's law, he addresses those things in order to protect 
the innocent parties. So you get legislation concerning 
polygamy, for instance. You get legislation concerning 
divorce. You get legislation concerning 
slavery. Again, that's not an endorsement, 
but that's because of the hardness of your heart. God has spoken 
additional things in order to regulate the conduct of parties 
involved in that stuff. But as far as Paul is concerned, 
liberty is the way to go. As far as God is concerned, Leviticus 
25. I'd love to give a quiz to anybody who was there a couple 
of weeks ago. What was Leviticus 25? The year of jubilee. What was that? It was that time 
when there was an emancipation of slaves, when there was a cancellation 
of debts. So we've learned in the book 
of Leviticus, God is pro-liberty. God's pro-prosperity, not weird 
Benny Hinn prosperity, but hard work prosperity. That's what 
we see in the blessings and curses in Leviticus chapter 26. Go into 
the land, do what you're supposed to do, And guess what? You'll 
have stuff. You'll have food. You'll have 
shelter. You'll have good benefits from 
the land. This idea that God wants everybody 
miserable, that's not biblical. That's communism. God is okay, 
perfectly content with pro-liberty and pro-prosperity. And the apostle 
Paul is the same way. But if in 1 Corinthians 7, if 
you can't achieve your free status, you still have obligations as 
a slave to function in a distinctly Christian capacity. Now, secondly, 
I want to just end with the modern parallel in the 21st century. 
But it's not an exact parallel. I'm speaking about the employer-employee 
relationship. It's not an exact equivalent. 
No matter how bad your job is, no matter how miserable you are, 
you can quit. the slave couldn't quit, right? So it's not an exact parallel. The closest parallel today to 
this particular situation would be military. You, I mean, they're 
making the military so weird nowadays. Probably you can, but 
it used to be you couldn't quit. You know, chief, I'm done. Captain, 
yeah, it's just not for me. I don't like the uniforms. I 
don't like you guys yelling at me. I don't like getting up early. 
The chow hall food's not good. I'm just done. You don't do that. You obey. You carry out what 
they call you to do, and you do it. So the closest parallel 
would be military service in our own context. So it's not 
exact. The employer-employee relationship. 
You can always quit. You can always find another job. 
You can go elsewhere. You can move. You can move to 
another country. You can open businesses. There's 
limitless opportunity for you. So you're not a slave. I'm not 
a slave. We're not masters. You're not 
masters. So, this is not an exact parallel, 
but there's obviously some overlap. There's obviously a few things 
that I'd like to comment on and I think we'll summarize the entirety 
of the section. First, with reference to the 
employee-employer relationship, I've got four C's, and I'm not 
going to keep us long, but I think I want to get them out there 
at least. First, the condemnation of laziness, the commendation 
of diligence, the consideration of Christ in all things, and 
then the cultivation of self-control. Now, that sounds like a whole 
other sermon to me, but instead of carrying it over to next Sunday 
night, I'm going to try to pack it into about five or seven minutes. You're probably going, right, 
sure. The condemnation of laziness. We won't go through all the texts, 
I'll just give you the heads. First, the exhortation to the 
sluggard in Proverbs chapter six, verses nine to 11. As well, the example of the man 
who is afraid of lions in Proverbs chapter 26, 13 to 16. He's not really afraid of lions. I mean, he might be if he met 
one at his front door. He's afraid of hard work. Dad 
says, but there's a lion in the street. I can't get up and go 
to work. There's lions out there. Brethren, 
there were no more lions out there in civilized Israelite 
society than there are on the streets of Chilliwack. It's just 
not the case. In fact, that was a blessing 
of God. When they went into the land, the beasts were already 
gone because of the presence of the Canaanites. He said, you're 
not going to drive out the Canaanites to the point where it's going 
to be so fast the beasts come back in. It's going to be a gradual 
thing so that the beasts don't come back in. So the guy whining 
about the lion in the street, His problem isn't lions. His 
problem is work. He's an excuse-making lover of 
sleep, too lazy for simple tasks. Remember, he buries his hand 
in the bowl, but he can't bring it back to his own mouth, and 
he's full of pride. As well, with reference to the 
lazy man, he frustrates others. Proverbs 10, 26. He frustrates 
others. The way that smoke is in your 
eyes or vinegar on your teeth, those are irritating things, 
aren't they? So is a lazy man in your employ. 
So is a lazy man that is supposed to be helping you in your job. 
He as well lacks understanding, Proverbs 12, 11. He has unmet 
desires, Proverbs 13, 4. He's always got something else 
that he's aspiring for, but he doesn't make it. He is a destroyer, 
Proverbs 18, 9, and he will most certainly suffer hunger. Proverbs 
19, 15, 19, 24, 24, 24, 20, 13, 21, five, and 25, 21, 25, and 
26. So this condemnation of laziness 
is replete in scripture. What does Paul say in 2 Thessalonians 
3? If a man doesn't work, what do 
you do? Just give him an abundance of 
food. Just, you know, fill his gut. Give him, you know, steaks 
and lobsters and shrimps and whatever it is that he wants. 
No! If a man doesn't work, neither shall he eat. And in Thessalonica, 
that was a reality. Why? Because they had this idea 
that Christ was going to return at any time. So instead of going 
out to work, they'd sit around and wait for Jesus' return. How 
does Paul meet that? Go out to work. If you don't 
go out to work, you're not supposed to eat. It's just kind of the 
law of nature. You don't labor, you don't pick, 
you don't grow, you don't make money to buy. You're not gonna 
eat. That's the simple facts of things. And the church shouldn't countenance 
that kind of behavior. So the condemnation of the lazy 
man is not once in the Bible. Secondly, the commendation of 
the diligent. You have the example of the ant. Go to the ant! You sluggard! Get out of your bed! The little 
ant is out there gathering up her food because in the wintertime 
she will starve if she doesn't have a garner. As well, you've 
got the expectation of the diligent. There's this emphasis on hard 
work. There's this, do you see a man 
who excels in his work? He shall stand before kings. Brethren, that ought to be the 
aspiration in the hearts of God's people, to work in such a way 
that they get promoted. I'm not saying be greedy. I'm 
not saying be, you know, miserly. I'm not saying, you know, do 
this to neglect of your wife, your kids, just be driven only 
and solely for money. Now, I'm not saying that, but 
I am suggesting that hard work pays off. That's just, again, 
a light of nature principle that we see enshrouded in Holy Scripture. And then, of course, the exhortation 
of the diligent in Proverbs 27. Get your act together. It's your 
house in order. Make sure you've got sheep. Make 
sure you've got land. Make sure you're able to feed 
that wife of yours and those kids. They're addicted to food. 
It's a crazy thing. They need nutrients. They need 
protein. Go out and grow them some protein. Make sure you fill 
that. The diligent will be blessed. Not always. Sometimes things 
happen. Thirdly, the consideration of 
Christ in all things. Just a quick turn to the parallel 
in Colossians 3. Colossians 3, similar household 
code, beginning in verse 18, continuing to chapter 4, verse 
1. But prior to that, notice 3.1, 
if then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which 
are above where Christ is sitting, or where Christ is rather, sitting 
at the right hand of God, set your mind on things above, not 
on things of the earth. For you died and your life is 
hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, 
then you also will appear with him in glory. So notice again, 
verse two, set your mind on things above, not on things in the earth. 
That does not mean that you check out from society. You build a 
hut on top of Mount Shem, and all you do is contemplate Christ. That's not what he's saying, 
brethren. He's saying, keep an eye on Christ while you're engaged 
in your earthly chores. Keep an eye on the Savior as 
you're engaged in slavery or masterhood. Keep an eye on the 
Savior while you're an employer or an employee. We know that 
because notice in verse 5, "...therefore put to death your members which 
are on the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, 
and covetousness, which is idolatry." Dropping all the way down to 
that household code in verse 18 all the way to 4.1. Focusing on Jesus is the best 
way to do well in this present evil age. And then finally, the 
cultivation of self-control. I think this is undergirding 
all of these relationships between the husband and the wife, between 
the parent and the child, and between the slave and the master. 
Self-control. I listened to a podcaster, and 
he's a political guy, and he sometimes makes the observation 
He professes faith in Christ, I have no reason to doubt that, 
but this observation, I'm not sure if he ever has specified 
it's from the Bible or it's my biblical worldview, but when 
he sort of surveys the political landscape in the U.S., he says, 
we have a people problem. Oh, if we just get a new president, 
we just get a new vice president, we get a new prime minister, 
okay, we've still got a people problem. We have put up with 
abortion, we have put up with MAID, we have put up with drug 
abuse on our streets, we have put up with an open border, we 
have a people problem. And that speaks specifically 
to another emphasis that you find throughout Solomon, self-control. Federal government, provincial 
government, familial government, and ecclesiastical government 
is only as good as self-government. In other words, if the people 
are a mess as individuals, guess what else is gonna be a mess? 
Church, family, society. See, we need to get back to this 
idea where we're not dependent upon the nanny state, but we're 
dependent on our own hard work. We're dependent on our own efforts. 
We're dependent upon our own sort of pushing through the muck 
and mire of this present evil age and seeking to do the best 
that we possibly can. So this time we will survey a 
few of these Proverbs. Go back to the book of Proverbs. 
Remember, this isn't just a collection of wise sayings from Solomon. 
It's Christ speaking through the Spirit in this particular 
book. We have an emphasis several times 
over, and I'll go quick, Proverbs 4, 23. Keep your heart with all 
diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Keep your 
heart, not keep your brother's heart, not keep your neighbor's 
heart, not keep your government's heart, but keep your heart. It's 
full-time job, 24-7. You keep your own heart, you 
got enough to do. That doesn't mean we don't help our brother, 
doesn't mean we don't help our neighbor, doesn't mean we're 
not there for our wives or our husbands or our children, our 
parents. That doesn't mean that. But your primary orientation 
is keep your heart. Imagine if everybody just kept 
their heart. Be a good place to live, wouldn't it? That's 
the problem. We don't keep our hearts. But then notice how practically 
he gets in verses 24 to 27. Keep your heart, and what happens 
when you keep your heart? It helps you to keep your members. 
It helps you to guard the eyes. It helps you to guard the hands. 
It helps you to guard the feet. In other words, self-control. Proverbs 14 and verse 17. Proverbs 14 and verse 17. A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, 
and a man of wicked intentions is hated. Guess what? You're not supposed to do that. 
I'm not supposed to do that. Do we ever do that? Yeah, we 
do, but it's not commended in the Bible. A quick-tempered man, 
1518. A wrathful man stirs up strife, 
but he who is slow to anger, look at what he does. He allays 
contention. How about Proverbs 16 and verse 
32? He who is slow to anger is better 
than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes 
a city. See, basically saying any fool, 
any army could take a city, but it's the wise man who can control 
himself. It's the wise man who can govern his own heart. It's 
the wise man who can keep it with all diligence. Notice in 
1916, 1916, he who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, but 
he who is careless of his ways will die. Proverbs 20, verse 
one, wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever 
is led astray by it is not wise. I mentioned that in Ephesians 
5. Paul's not forbidding, prohibiting, or condemning the use of alcohol. 
He is forbidding, condemning, and prohibiting the sinful use 
of alcohol and immoderate use of alcohol. Wine is a mocker, 
strong drink is a brawler, but look it, whoever is led astray 
by it is not wise. So if a man's not led astray 
by it and has a glass of wine with his dinner, He's not the 
target audience here in Proverbs 20, verse 1. It's self-government. 
Proverbs 21, 17. He who loves pleasure will be 
a poor man. He who loves wine and oil will 
not be rich. Again, this is not, wow, I can't 
believe how revolutionary This wisdom is. Proverbs 23, 1 and 
2. When you sit down to eat with 
a ruler, consider carefully what is before you. Put a knife to 
your throat if you're a man given to appetite. Do not desire his 
delicacies, for they are deceptive food. Self-control. Look at verses 
4 and 5. And I mentioned this earlier. 
It's not wrong. to labor hard, to be promoted. But if that is 
the overarching concern of your life, instead of seeking first 
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then there's a problem. Do not 
overwork to be rich. You may be called upon by your 
boss to overwork. That's a different story. You've 
got a job as an employee, and typically this is true of younger 
men. The older you get, the wiser you get. No, the younger you 
are, that's when you've got to put in a lot of effort. You've 
got to put in a lot of labor. You've got to make your way. 
But here it's do not overwork to be what? To be rich. Honey, 
I'm not going to see you for five weeks because I'm going 
out to make money. Now, again, there might be that temporary 
necessity that there's always qualifications, no hard and fast 
rule here, but look at the prohibition. Do not overwork to be rich, because 
of your own understanding, cease. Will you set your eyes on that 
which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings. They fly 
away like an eagle toward heaven. Look at 2410. 2410, if you faint in the day 
of adversity, your strength is small. And we should be mindful 
of the fact that doesn't mean there's grace, you have no grace 
in your heart. There are those seasons, there 
are those times where we may just have the ministers or the 
regular persons fainting fits. Notice 2516. 2516, have you found 
honey? Eat as much as you can. Shut 
it down your gullet faster than anything. I mean, just take it 
in. Have you found honey? Eat only 
as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit. Notice as well, 2527. 2527, a 
lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering 
mouth works ruin. Exercise self-control. I'm sorry, 2528. That's the one. I missed that. But 2628 certainly 
is germane. But notice 28 in chapter 25. 
Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken 
down without walls. You know what a city? broken 
down without walls in this context was, was easy pickings for anybody. I mean, if you didn't have walls, 
if you didn't defend yourself, you didn't have armament, you 
didn't have, you know, gun nests for enemy invaders, you didn't 
long have food, you didn't long have water, you didn't long have 
freedom, you didn't long have your families. And then 2911. 
2911, the rich man is wise in his own 
eyes. I'm sorry, 2911, the fool vents all his feelings, but a 
wise man holds them back. And then 2922, an angry man stirs 
up strife and a furious man abounds in transgression. And then one 
final passage, and then we close. Galatians chapter five. Galatians 
chapter five. The argument here is simple. 
Self-government, self-control, rule over one's own sort of kingdom, 
castle, is absolutely crucial for the various relationships 
that Paul mentions here. The master can't just threaten 
his slaves and whip them. He has to exercise self-control. 
The slave can't wish his master dead and not do his job. He's got to have self-control. 
The wife can't throw things, coffee cups, at her husband's 
head because he came home late or he didn't do such and such. 
No, she has to exercise self-control. The husband doesn't tyrannize 
his wife or be a despot to her. No, he exercises self-control. You see how I think Jesse Kelly's 
right. We have a people problem. We 
got big problems. We expect everybody else to do 
everything else, but God's Word doesn't say that. You're always 
the ward of the state. They will take care of you from 
the cradle to the grave. You'll never have an issue. You'll 
never have a problem. The benevolent state is there 
to care for you. If you believe that, may The 
Lord God most high, open your eyes to the truth that what we 
find here is an emphasis on self-government and self-control. Notice in Galatians 
5, a very familiar passage of scripture, but a thing I think 
we overlook. But the fruit of the spirit, 
verse 22, is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, 
faithfulness, gentleness. Look at that next phrase, self-control. Huh? A fruit of the Holy Spirit 
is self-control? Shouldn't it be spirit control? 
A fruit of the Holy Spirit is self-control, self-government, 
self-discipline. You want to relate effectively 
as husbands and wives? You want to relate effectively 
as children and parents? You want to relate effectively 
as servants and and masters exercise self-control. And the way to 
get that is ultimately at the cross by God's grace through 
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. There's no fruit of the Spirit 
without the Spirit present in your life. And the way that you 
have the Spirit present in your life is by God's free grace. justification by faith alone 
in Christ alone. You receive the Holy Spirit. 
You're able to comply. You're able to engage in this 
self-control and have relationships that are marked here in Ephesians 
chapter six. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in Heaven, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for the clarity 
of the Apostles' instructions in each of these social spheres, 
each of these relationships. Give us grace and the presence 
and the power of the Spirit that we may comply, that we may be 
faithful as individuals, as families, as a church, And may you indeed 
save more people and affect this nation in a positive way for 
your glory. For Solomon says, righteousness 
exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. And certainly 
we see evidence of this each and every day. So God, we pray 
to you in your wrath, you would remember mercy, bless the preaching 
of the gospel throughout this land, and may many come to a 
saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray in 
his most blessed name. Amen. close with a brief time 
of meditation.