Introduction. Being filled or controlled by the Spirit as Eph 5.18 commands enables us to obey the Lord in relationships in the church, our families and in the workplace. We are called to humbly practice mutual submission in Eph 5.21. As we consider slaves and masters we apply the principles here to employee and employer.

I.  We are as Christians, servants of Christ and we submit to His leadership.

A. We present ourselves as “living sacrifices,” Rom 12.1 and yield our members as “instruments of rightness.” 6.1-13.

1-  “We cannot serve God and money.” Matt 6.24.

2 – Matt 4.10 “…Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” Act 27.23.

3-  David called himself God’s servant Ps 116.16f. Josh 24.14f. Joshua and family would serve the Lord. Jer 35.15 “…my servants the prophets…” If we serve the Lord we can use that title for ourselves!

B.  God calls us to serve one another in love. Gal 5.13f; Christ demonstrated a servant’s heart John 13, and calls us to do the same, Matt 20.28; Mark 10.44; Phil 2.1f.

II. Bond servants and employees are to be obedient to employers or those over them on the job.

A. We are to be very respectful and obedient. Slave masters had the power of life and death so fear was not too strong a word. “The servant is not above his master…”Matt 10.24. We are to show respect to those God has placed over us. Almost all of us are under the authority of someone. That is God’s plan for us to grow and learn for future service. Jacob, Joseph, Nehemiah, Daniel, Mordecai, Moses, Joshua, David and the children of Israel were all servants at some times earlier in life. 5.33; Romans 13.1f.

B. We are to work” with sincerity of heart as to Christ.” We serve our employer like Christ, Rom 7.6 in “newness of spirit;” “not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord…’”Sincerity” means, to not hide under a false appearance, to be genuine and true, genuine, wholehearted.

1 – Eph 6.6 and Col 3.22f teach that we are to serve “not with eye service as men pleasers.” We are not to work hard only when the boss is watching or to curry favor “but to do the will of God from the heart.” I think we have all known workers like that! We by contrast are to have inner motivation seeking to please Christ.

2 – We are Col 3.23, “to work heartily as unto the Lord and not unto men.” “Heartily” means from the soul. We are to face each task given us to work hard and well whether or not we like what we have to do; Eccl 9.10. Not liking our work is part of the curse of Gen 3 as a result of Adam’s sin, Rom 5.12. Have you had jobs that you particularly didn’t like but had to do? Have you had jobs you really liked?

3 – We are to work as though we were serving the Lord. Just like ministry service will be rewarded so serving our employers with diligence and God given enthusiasm will also produce eternal rewards, I Cor 3.8f; II Cor 5.10f; I Pet 1.17. If someone else gets credit for our work remember we will be recognized later before the Lord. Matt 25.14f. ..

4 – We are not just to work for the paycheck but to be a good witness as “ambassadors for Christ.” II Cor 5.10f. Our workplace is a mission field but we cannot be a witness and share the gospel if we have a reputation for shoddy work, dishonesty, or theft. Tit 2.9f; 3.8f. We should give more than a day’s work for a day’s pay. Our reputation for honesty and integrity should eventually make us valuable employees.

5 – If we are under a Christian employer we must not, I Tim 6.1 think we can slack off but work harder because we are benefitting a fellow believer. We should be a witness at work but not on company time. .

C. Let’s face it, sometimes we get stuck with lousy bosses. Thankfully, we are not slaves and can quit and work elsewhere but we should pray and ask God whether we are to be light in a dark place. I Pet 2.18-25 remind us that we are serve even harsh masters. If we are treated unjustly and suffer for doing right that this is commendable to God. Christ who was perfectly righteous bore the injustice of our sins on Himself so that we could be saved.

III. Masters or employers are to do the same since they are under the authority of the Lord who is over all of us. There are some good examples of those with workers under them. Boaz greeted his field workers “The Lord be with you!” and they responded in kind. Ruth 2.4. Of course he was kind to a foreign woman who came to his field to glean. The Roman Centurion came to Christ asking Him to heal a servant who was sick, Matt 8.5f.

A. While bosses have to manage and make sure that work gets done they are not to be arrogant and threatening. 6.9. Bosses who treat workers badly may themselves be under the chastening hand of God Heb 12.5f; Col 4.1; James 5.4. Workers who are not slaves are to be paid promptly and fairly. Jer 22.13 teaches that rulers must not use other’s labor without paying for it. II Ki 22.35; Lev 19.13; Deut 24.14f. And pay promptly.

B. Employers and masters should recognize their responsibility to care for those under their authority. .

C. God does not show partiality, in Christ there is neither, “slave or free, male or female…We are all one in Christ. God does not play favorites neither should boss. Acts 10.24.

IV. Conclusions

A. Fulfilling our God given roles can only be done in the power of the Spirit. As workers we should work enthusiastically for those over us as though serving Christ Himself. This enables us to have a good testimony in the workplace bringing glory to God and credibility so we can share the gospel.

B. Working enables us to earn a paycheck in this world. By contrast in the spiritual realm we don’t work for salvation but receive it by grace thru faith alone. Rom 4.4-5; Eph 2.8-9.