Message for THE LORD'S DAY MORNING, December 4, 2016 Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister MESSAGE 15 in Ephesians Sermon Series ( Rags To Riches ) A Word To Christian Employees and Employers Ephesians 6:5-9 (NKJV) As we continue with our study of Paul's Letter to The Ephesians, please turn with me in your Bibles to Ephesians chapter six. And let's read verses 5-9. Ephesians 6:5-9 (NKJV) 5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. 9 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. P R A Y E R ***********************
I N T R O D U C T I O N Over these last three chapters of his letter, the apostle Paul has talked to us about OUR WALK WITH CHRIST...OUR MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIPS...and OUR PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS. In today's scripture text Paul now talks to us about THE MASTER-SLAVE RELATIONSHIP or as it relates to us today, OUR EMPLOYEE-EMPLOYER RELATIONSHIP AT WORK. Historical Background Information Because we are NOT familiar with the ancient institution of slavery, let me give you some brief historical background information that will help us understand the context in which Paul wrote these verses. In Paul's day it is estimated that there were as many as 50 millions slaves in the Roman empire. In fact, more people were employed as slaves than any other occupation. And it might interest you to know slavery is never condemned in the Bible, but the Bible strongly condemns abuses in the Master- Slave relationship. In Paul's time many Roman citizens came to view work as beneath their dignity. Their solution was to hire people as slaves and servants to do all their work for them so they didn't have to do any work.
Most slaves in those days had NO LEGAL RIGHTS. They were BOUGHT...SOLD...TRADED...USED...AND OFTEN ABUSED as though they were nothing more than commodities. One Roman statesman named CATO said, Old slaves should be thrown on a dump, and when a slave is ill do not feed him anything; it is not worth your money. Take sick slaves and throw them away because they are nothing more than inefficient tools. The typical attitude that most Roman slave owners had towards their slaves was the only thing that distinguished a slave from an animal was that a slave could speak. Since the system of slavery in Paul's day was filled with so much abuse, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write down these instructions in VERSES 5-9 regarding the proper relationship between Master and Slave. We know from our own American history there was a time when slavery was practiced in this country. And just as it was in Paul's day, the system of slavery in this country was filled with terrible abuses. Thankfully, the system of slavery has been outlawed in our nation. The closest we come to the Master-Slave relationship is the relationship between EMPLOYERS and their EMPLOYEES. So the principles Paul lays down for Masters and Slaves in these verses are very applicable to Employers and Employees.
First of all, in verses 5-8 Paul gives us... I. A Word To Christian EMPLOYEES (vs. 5-8) 1. It isn't uncommon in our day and time to hear news about discord and dissension between employers and their employees. * We hear about LABOR STRIKES. * We see images of employees holding picket signs in front of the place where they are employed. * We hear about walk outs * We hear about disgruntled employees or former employees showing up at work with an assault rifle killing their boss and some fellow employees before ending their own lives or being killed by police. Sadly, conflict between employees and their employers is far too common.
2. Where do you, as a Christian employee, fit into this picture? When you carefully read Paul's instructions to employees here in verses 5-8 it would be extremely difficult for you as a Christian employee to ever justify participating in a labor strike...or standing in a picket line in front of your workplace...or taking part in a walk-out. More often than not these acts of rebellion by employees is motivated by greed more than anything else. They either want more money...more benefits...more vacation time...more perks...or all of the above. 3. In verses 5-8 Paul reveals two principles every Christian employee should abide by. PRINCIPLE NUMBER ONE As a Christian employee you are to SUBMIT to your employer. verse 5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; Paul has really been driving home this matter of submission a lot in our recent studies, hasn't he?
-Ephesians 5:22 Wives SUBMIT to your own husbands, as to the LORD. -In Ephesians 6:1 Paul says, Children OBEY your parents in the LORD,, for this is right. Once again he is talking about submission. -And now, here in chapter 6, verse 5 Paul says, Bond-servants ( employees ) be obedient to those who are your Masters ( employers ) according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart (now listen carefully) as to Christ. Every time Paul brings up this matter of submission he stresses that ALL SUBMISSION IS ULTIMATELY TO JESUS CHRIST! When the wife submits to her husband she is ultimately submitting to Christ. When Children obey their parents they are ultimately submitting to Christ. When you, as a Christian employee submit to your employer, ultimately you are submitting to Christ.
You aren't to submit to your employer begrudgingly or unwillingly, but rather you are to submit to your employer with fear and trembling. That doesn't mean you are to fear and tremble before the people you work for, but rather you are to submit to your employer with fear and trembling before the LORD to whom you will one day give an account. Most of you in the public workplace have a boss...or a supervisor...or a department head over you. That person who has authority over you in the workplace may be a delight to work for or they may be a real jerk. They may be easy to get along with or they may be very over-bearing and demanding. The scriptures don't give us any allowance when it comes to submitting to those in positions of authority over us in the workplace regardless of their temperment or personality. Remember, ultimately it is Jesus Christ you are submitting to. Your employer may write your paycheck every week, but ultimately it is Jesus Christ you are working for! That means you are working for the greatest boss anyone could ever have. And if you happen to have a difficult boss or supervisor, just remind yourself every day, Jesus is my boss!
Well, that's Principle Number One: As A Christian Employee you are to SUBMIT to your employer. Now here's... PRINCIPLE NUMBER TWO As a Christian Employee you are there (at work) to SERVE your employer. (verses 5-7) 5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, It has been said, Some things never change. In verse 6 Paul reveals two types of workers in his day that still exists in our day and time. (A) One type of worker is The SLACKER. That's who Paul is talking about in verse 6 when he refers to those who's work is nothing more than eyeservice to please men.
That's what slackers do isn't it? They goof off! They just put in their eight hours and go home with nothing to show for their time at the end of the day. Slackers are experts at producing artificial work. They know how to look busy when the boss is around. You know the type I'm talking about, don't you? Chances are you work with some slackers every day. Let me ask you something, Do you respect slackers? Of course you don't. No Christian should ever aspire to be a slacker. ILLUSTRATION When I worked at Berg Vault Company back in the early 1970's in Lebanon, Indiana, we had a real slacker named Charlie. Charlie did absolutely nothing all day long but stand around chain-smoking one cigarette after another. But any time the boss came in the shop, 'ol Charlie would grab a hammer and start beating on something...anything...to make it sound like he was hard at work. Well one day, one of my buddies and I hid all the hammers. And when the boss walked in 'ol Charlie got that deer in headlights look when he couldn't find anything to make some racket with.
(B) The other type of worker Paul mentions in verse 6 is THE SERVANT. The servant is trustworthy and dependable. He or she gives an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. The servant produces real work not artificial work to hood-wink the boss. And at the end of the day the servant has something to show for his or her labors. Are you the slacker or the servant? Do your co-workers secretly despise you because you're lazy and unproductive and don't carry your fair share of the workload? Or do they admire you as a hard-worker who makes an honest living by giving your employer your best each and every day? Tomorrow when you go back to work remember these two principles: Principle Number 1: You are to SUBMIT to your employer as to the LORD. And Principle Number 2: You are there to SERVE your employer as if serving the LORD HIMSELF! Now as we move on to VERSE 9, Paul gives us...
II. A Word To Christian EMPLOYERS (v.9) 9 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. 1. Let me re-read this verse and in place of the word Masters let me insert some terms more familiar to us: And you BOSSES...you SUPERVISORS...you DEPARTMENT HEADS...you MANAGERS...you SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Boss in heaven and there is no partiality with Him. 2. Some of you here this morning may hold one of these positions of authority at your workplace. Paul is now speaking to you in verse 9. 3. Earlier in the message you remember I told you how The Masters in Paul's day were often brutal and abusive towards the slaves who worked for them. If you happen to be a boss...or supervisor...or manager... or employer don't treat those under your authority like the Masters used to treat their slaves.
4. The business world would have us to believe that's what it takes to be a good boss; you have to be a tough, hard-nosed, emotionally detached individual who can rip an employee up one side and down the other without batting an eye-lash or fire someone at the drop of a hat. That's not good boss...that's a TYRANT! Bosses and supervisors who mistreat those under them are nothing more than power-hungry ego-maniacs. 5. Paul's counsel to all you who are in a position of authority over others in your workplace is to treat those who are under your authority in a Christ-like manner! That means you should treat them with dignity...and respect...and grace...and mercy...and kindness. It means use your power and authority sparingly! 6. Do the people who are under your authority know that you love them? Do they know you care about them? Do they know you are just as concerned about them as a person as you are about their productivity? Do they see CHRIST in you or do they see the devil? 7. Practice The Golden Rule with those under your authority in the workplace: Treat them as you would want them to treat you if they were your boss.
C O N C L U S I O N Jerome once said, I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours. Jerome K. Jerome Like Jerome, many Christians have a very unbiblical view of work. Many Christians view work as a curse of living in this fallen world. Many Christians are lazy and despise work and even boast about the many things they do to avoid hard work. The truth is work is a blessing from GOD. Work is a means to honor God and worship God and to use your God-given skills and ability for the common good of others. Work for the night is coming, Work thro' the morning hours; Work while the dew is sparkling, Work 'mid springing flowers. Work when the day grows brighter, Work in the glowing sun; Work for the night is coming, When man's work is done.