Eph 6:5-9

Pray for God to show you something to use from the passage Read the Passage at least twice Who is in the passage? What action verbs do you see? What other words stick out in your mind

To understand this section we must understand the life of ancient times. Slavery was everywhere. Jesus talks of it in terms of being freed from sin. (John 8:34-36) . But he also uses the terms of servants and Masters (Luke 12:36-38) . Yet Jesus also very clearly shows that ones position in this life does not effect how God sees the individual. In John 13 Jesus washes the disciples feet then says If I your Master do this then you should do it also (John 13:12-14) Also in John 15:15 Jesus breaks the cycle of Master and servant in terms of how the disciples are viewed. They are placed on equal footing as friends not servants.

Paul himself takes slavery as a given in how society works. Yet he also understands that slaves should be treated very differently than they way the world did. Slaves were property and as such could be treated by their Master in any way. Paul rejects this notion. While the Slave is to treat his master with respect so to is the master to treat the slave (vs 9) They are not to use their position to threaten the slave.

For Paul your position in this life is far less important than your position in heaven. Christians should base how they treat each other solely from God's point of view. (Gal 3:28) This is perhaps most clearly seen in Paul's letter to Philemon where Paul writes a friend concerning an escaped slave, Onesimus, who Paul is now sending back. Paul tells Philemon to receive him as a brother not a slave. Philemon 16.

Yet Paul also tells slaves here and other places to serve their masters well. Titus 2:9-10 gives us the reason why. It is all about being an example that will cause the teaching of Christ to be appealing. For Paul everything we do should reflect well on our God.

While Paul does not say get rid of slavery he does say a slave should be treated as a human and with the respect that you treat yourself. These ideas over the years finally did away with slavery in many parts of the world. Would Paul had said something different if he didn't believe that Christ was coming back soon? We do not know.

vs 5-8 Paul uses the term earthly master - Why? It is his way of saying they are Masters only temporarily. The true Master of all is what our focus should be on (vs 9)

Even though they are only short-term Masters they should be respected. Even beyond that the slave should do the best job possible not only when the master is looking but also when he is not. Act like you are serving God! Why? First your heavenly reward is partly based on how you treat others. Therefore what you do is not as important as your attitude as you do it. The other reason is the witness you give of your faith. The way you do your job reflects on the God you serve. It is a way of pointing out to people that you are different not because of something in you but because you have been changed by Christ. This is something to think about as we work today. Do we give our best or do we just do enough to keep our job? How does that reflect on our God?

vs 9 Masters treat your slaves the same way. This is even more of a radical statement than the treatment of husband to wives. Remember the first statement of this section is vs 5:21. IT IS ABOUT SUBMITTING TO ONE ANOTHER!

Paul places a warning into the statement as well. You may be able to beat and threaten your slaves here with cost but don't think God is going to let that go. With God all are treated the same whether slave or master. Applying it today means treating your employees fairly and with respect. It isn't just about the bottom line. It is also how you treat those that serve under you. You are no better than the lowest person of the Corporation.