Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Have you ever had a boss that was just difficult to work for?

Story about working for the moving company

I showed up at 6 am and our first job was to move an ISU professors books from his garage to a storage unit-

It was an entire garage full of books.

We showed up opened the garage and my new boss said well here you go let me know when you a re done.

He then sat in the truck and did business on his phone.

about4 hrs later I finished loading the truck we drove it to a storage unit and guess what - he had more business to do-

After the books were all in their new home we moved on to the next job at an apartment building.

We were helping a lady move a keyboard into her apartment-

We showed up and the keyboard my boss described was drastically different than the baby grand that we needed to move into this lady’s 3 story apartment.

Lucky for me the boss called and got another college guy there to help.

As we were navigating it up the stairs we slipped and put a chip in the hallway wall- and guess who got thrown under the bus for that one?

I can say it wasn’t the boss.

After that fun filled day of work- I have to tell you that that became my shortest employment ever.

I figured there has got to be a better way to make $10 hr as a college student.

So I quit before I went home and have never regretted that decision.

This morning-as we continue through the book of Ephesians Paul is going to give us the third specification for Biblical submission we must demonstrate as followers of Jesus.

Today’s TEXT: Ephesians 6:5–9 “Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as to Christ, not like those who do their work only when someone is watching—as people-pleasers—but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.

Obey with enthusiasm, as though serving the Lord and not people, because you know that each person, whether slave or free, if he does something good, this will be rewarded by the Lord.

Masters, treat your slaves the same way, giving up the use of threats, because you know that both you and they have the same master in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.”

Today we are going to look at the Biblical submission of masters and servants.

Before we delve into the topic of masters and servants, lets take a couple of minutes to remember what we have been studying about Walking in harmony with one another.

Ephesians 5:21 Where we read that all believers are to “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

If you are Christian than God has called you to live your life in submission to one one another, Why?

Because this brings God glory.

The Bible is very clear on what true submission looks like

Eph. 4:1-2 “I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,”

Submission to one another means that you with all humility and gentleness, with patience, You bear with one another in love

Gal.

5:13 “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another.”

Submission to one another means that you serve them through love.

Phil 2:3 “Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.”

Submission to one another means that you respect one another treating them as more important than yourself

to Submit to one another means that you live your life humbly for the spiritual good of others around you .

In our text in Ephesians Paul has been building on the foundation of biblical submission in the home

In 5:22-33 relates to the relationship between a husband and a wife.

and how their marriage is a picture of Christ and His church

In chapter 6:1-4 Paul speaks about the relationship of children with their parents.

and how this relationship is a picture of Christians with their heavenly father.

and now Paul moves on in our text this morning and gives us the 3rd specification of what true biblical submission should look like fin a believer’s life.

He is addressing how slaves are to serve their masters, and how masters are to treat their servants much like the relationship between children and their parents and husbands and wives.

Listen to our text again

TEXT Eph.

6:5-9 “Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as to Christ, not like those who do their work only when someone is watching—as people-pleasers—but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.Obey with enthusiasm, as though serving the Lord and not people, because you know that each person, whether slave or free, if he does something good, this will be rewarded by the Lord.

Masters, treat your slaves the same way, giving up the use of threats, because you know that both you and they have the same master in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.”

SLAVERY in ROMAN TIMES

historians tell us that Slavery existed in most of the ancient world and in many of the cultures surrounding Israel during biblical times.

The first century Roman empire was no different .

It is estimated that there were close to 6 million slaves during the time Paul wrote his epistles..

We need to understand that culturally slavery was an accepted economic practice of that time.

Many people were owned by the Roman government such as the slaves in Athens who were used as a police force, and the slaves in city of Rome, who were used as the work force.

The vast majority of slaves during this time in history were the prisoners of war.

The enemies that the Romans conquered and instead of killing them they made them their slaves.

Another type of slave that was common during the first century was the bond servant or the debt slave.

This type of slavery was when a person voluntarily sold themselves or their children into slavery to pay off a debt they owed, or to pay for a crime they were found guilty of committing.

In many of the cities in Asia Minor the slave population outnumbered the freemen.

and the reality was that many of these slaves could not have survived in that culture unless they lived under this arrangement.

slavery was the reality for many people who became believers during this time in history.

Paul’s purpose in our text this morning in Ephesians is not to condemn or condone the economical practice of slavery, But to address how slaves should act towards their masters especially after they became believers in Jesus.

TRANSITION:

Even though we do not have slavery in our American culture today, I believe that these same biblical truths apply to us in our work places.

These truths should ring true in the lives of Christian employees and Christian Bosses.

BIG IDEA; If you are Christian you are called to Walk in Harmony at work

Lets dig into our text this morning and look at how we as believers can strive for harmony with our bosses and our employees

Servants

Text. vs. 5-“Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as to Christ, not like those who do their work only when someone is watching—as people-pleasers—but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.

Obey with enthusiasm, as though serving the Lord and not people, because you know that each person, whether slave or free, if he does something good, this will be rewarded by the Lord.”

5 ways to be a godly Employee

Obey Your Boss

Text: vs 5 “Slaves, obey your human masters”

This seems pretty straight forward.

If you are going to be a godly employee than you first need to obey what your boss asks you to do.

As the employee your boss has the right and authority to tell you what to do.

You may say “ but my boss isn’t fair, He always gives me the hardest work to do.

He doesn’t like.

Listen to what Peter Wrote in 1 Peter 2:18 “Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.”

Trans: When we obey our employers without complaining We proclaim Christ through our actions.

Paul goes on and gives us the 2nd way to be a Godly employee, listen to the text.....

Respect Your boss

Text: vs 5 “ Slaves, obey your human masters......with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as to Christ,

The phrase “with fear and trembling doesn’t mean to be afraid of your boss but it means to give him respect.

Paul doesn’t just say to acknowledge your bosses authority in your life, but to show them respect out of the sincerity of your heart .... and then he takes this respect a step further and says give them the amount of respect that you would give to Jesus if he was your boss.

if we want to be a godly employee then we need to show our bosses complete respect.

Honor them for their position of authority

Give them preference.

Don’t talk bad about them

build them up

Encourage them

Respect is the action of treating others better than the way that you want to be treated yourself

1 Tim.

6:1-2 “Those who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters as deserving of full respect.

This will prevent the name of God and Christian teaching from being discredited.But those who have believing masters must not show them less respect because they are brothers.

Instead they are to serve all the more, because those who benefit from their service are believers and dearly loved.

[ and then Paul finishes this teaching to Timothy saying Teach them [those who are slaves] and exhort them about these things.”

When we give our bosses the same respect that we would give to Jesus - the Bible tells us that Christ is ultimately the recipient of that respect.

Trans: the third way that we can glorify God as employees is to......

Have personal integrity..... in everything we do.

Text: vs. “6:6 “Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as to Christ,, not like those who do their work only when someone is watching—as people-pleasers—but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.”

EXAMPLE: undercover boss -in each episode a high-level executive puts on a disguise and slips anonymously into the rank-and-file of their own organization.