Ephesians 6:6-9

Harmony in the workplace

Open your Bible to…

Eph. 6:5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;

Eph. 6:6 not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

Eph. 6:7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,

Eph. 6:8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

Pray

Intro

√ Harmony in the workplace

Remember that the context of Paul’s instructions for walking in harmony here in chapters 4-6 is Christian relationships.

So, these last four verses deal with a common issue in the early Church and that was how slaves who had come to faith in Jesus should practice their new Christian faith toward their owners.

And, how slave owners who had come to Christ should treat their slaves.

It’s been estimated by historians that as much as half the population in the Roman Empire were slaves so it was obviously an important issue in the Church.

Ex. Slaves in the New Testament

A couple of people who figure prominently into the New Testament were slaves…

Pontius Pilate was a slave before winning his freedom by bravery in battle fighting for the Roman Empire.

Onesimus was a runaway slave who found faith in Christ, then helped Paul while he was in prison and of whom Paul later wrote in his letter to Philemon, Onesimus’ owner.

All that to say that slavery was the norm of 1^st Century Roman culture, so don’t misinterpret Paul’s writing as an endorsement of slavery…

…rather, he was simply instructing slaves and slave owners who had come to faith in Jesus how they ought to treat one another in a Christ-like manner.

Additionally we find in 1 Cor. 7:20-24 that Paul encouraged slaves to win their freedom if at all possible and us it as an opportunity to serve the Lord.

Furthermore, the general theme of the Gospel is freedom!

Freedom from slavery to Satan, sin, self and every other power so as to serve Christ.

So, it is wrong to interpret Paul’s instructions here as a Biblical endorsement of slavery as some have wrongly suggested.

Finally, historically where the Gospel has been preached slavery has been eradicated!

Ex. William Wilberforce, John Wesley & George Whitefield

Ap. Employee ~ Employer relationships

The application of Paul’s instructions for us is the employee/employer relationship, which is the modern equivalent of the slave/owner relationship of the 1^st Century.

Obviously it’s not exactly the same kind of relationship!

None the less the principles that Paul gives us here will help us create and maintain harmony in the workplace.

Harmony with your boss (vs. 5-8)

Eph. 6:5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ;

Eph. 6:6 not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

Eph. 6:7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,

Eph. 6:8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

√ Harmony with your boss

Most of us work for someone else, if not now, you probably have at some point in your life or will one day work for someone else.

So, it’s important for those of us who claim Christ as Lord that we pay attention to Paul’s instructions.

That’s because our work ethic is a testimony of our faith!

Ap. You spend most of your life at work!

Most of us spend 40-60 hours of each week at work.

That’s more waking hours then we spend at home or anywhere else.

So, you and I need to take Paul’s instructions to heart because our work place is where we have the most contact with others and the greatest opportunity to influence people for Jesus.

1. You’re really serving Christ

The first thing that employees need to remember is that when they’re working they’re really serving Christ!

“be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ” ~ vs. 5

That is, all of us are ultimately subject to King Jesus! (ref. vs. 9).

So, whatever work we do as Christians should be done with the primary motivation of pleasing our Savior and King.

While our earthly bosses may not take note of our good work ethic, nor pay us what we’re worth, or recognize our accomplishments…

…Jesus sees it all and He’s the One we want to please!

Ex. Paul

Paul’s instructions aren’t just theoretical, rather he actually lived them!

He gave up his privileged lifestyle so that he could serve Christ.

He worked hard to bring people the Good News and yet most of the people he won to Christ abandoned him when he was arrested.

He was slandered by those he “worked” for.

He didn’t take a salary but worked with his hands to provide for his needs so that he might serve others.

Yet, he seldom received the respect his hard work deserved.

But he kept at the job that Jesus gave him because he knew that ultimately, whether he was making tents to support his mission team or preaching the Gospel…

…he was primarily working for Jesus.

Ap. Work is a witness

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find good workers!

Many people today think that they are entitled to a high paying job (even if they have nothing to offer!)…

…and subsequently feel justified to not put in a full day’s work despite the fact that they have no skill set to offer, no education and no experience!

Against that backdrop Christians have a unique opportunity demonstrate our faith to our employer by…

Giving our full attention and energy to the job we’ve been hired to do no matter how much we’re being paid.

Not taking advantage of our employer and giving a full day’s work.

Working hard even when the boss isn’t around.

Do that and you’ll soon stand out from the crowd of sub par employees you work with and will be a bright light for Christ!

You’ll earn your bosses respect, probably a raise, and maybe an opportunity to share your faith.

Your effort will also produce harmony with your boss.

You may not like him, or her, but you’ll find that if you work for them as you would for Jesus that the work environment will be much more harmonious!

One more thought, make sure that if your boss is a Christian that you don’t take advantage of him or her…

…rather you ought to work even harder because he or she is part of the family!

2. You’re doing God’s will

The second reason a Christian employee ought to do a good job for their boss, especially if their boss is a brother…

…is that it is God’s will that we do a good job!

“but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart” ~ vs. 6

Paul’s point is that for a Christian there isn’t a distinction between the sacred and the secular.

That is, anything a Christian does is “ministry”.

Doesn’t matter whether or not you’re working as a pastor or a policeman…

…the work you do is fulfilling God’s call on your life.

Specifically Paul is reminding servants that they should view their work for their earthly master’s as a sacred duty.

That they are doing God’s will regardless of how common the job may seem.

That’s a very different worldview than the religious systems of man which divide life up into sacred activities, worship, praying, meditating, etc.,…

…from their normal routine.

For the Christian everything we do should reflect our relationship with Christ!

Ex. Jesus

When Jesus washed the disciples feet was He ministering?

Absolutely!

He didn’t have to preach a sermon, though He did give a nice devotion afterwards, to qualify as “ministering”.

How about when Nehemiah when he rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem?

Or Abraham’s servant who sought a wife for Isaac?

Or Mary when she anointed Jesus?

All of those are examples of ministry to the Lord.

They may seem like common, “un-churchy” jobs, but each one was important to the Lord and needed to be done well.

So, each of us is called to do a good job for our employer because it’s a ministry.

Ap. Your job

Your job may seem common, maybe even boring, but its God’s will for you to do a good job because it’s your ministry!

3) You’re going to receive a reward

The last reason we ought to do a good job for our boss is that we’ll be rewarded for our efforts!

“knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.” ~ vs. 8

Many of the Christians in Paul’s time who were slaves were mistreated and unappreciated by their masters.

But, Paul reminds them that because they’re ultimately working for the Lord that even if their earthly masters didn’t reward them for their labor…

…that Jesus will!

All through the Scripture we find promises like…

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.”

Rev. 22:12

So, employees we can create and maintain harmony in the workplace by remembering that we’re…

Working for the Lord

That our work is a ministry

That we’ll be rewarded for that work

Good motivation for working as unto the Lord!

Harmony with your employees (vs. 9)

Eph. 6:9 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.

√ Harmony with your employees

Now Paul turns his attention to those Christians who owned slaves.

Keep in mind that the Christian faith doesn’t primarily bring about harmony by erasing social or cultural distinctions.

Servants are still servants when they put their faith in Christ, and masters are still masters.

Rather, the Christian faith brings harmony by working in the heart of each person ~ servant and master alike to change their way of relating to one another so that they work together to serve the Lord and that will bring about social change too.

Ap. Giving your life to Jesus doesn’t make you the boss!

But, when your boss gets saved he should change the way he relates to you by creating a better work environment in which you both strive to please Jesus!

Ex. My boss at the ice cream store

Brought Mustard Seed Faith over after the concert so that I could meet them.

So, what responsibilities does a Christian employer have toward his/her employees?

I’m going to build off of Paul’s instructions here in Ephesians and add a few other principles that I find in Scripture to help you who are employers to be a good witness to those who work for you.

1. Must seek their welfare

If an employer wants the best performance from his employees then he must do his best for them, remember that Jesus said…

“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them.” ~ Matt. 7:12

Modern research has born this out time and again as they find that the most productive and profitable businesses are those where the employees are treated well by management.

Ex. Boaz

As we read the account in the Book of Ruth we find that Boaz had an excellent reputation with his workers because he was sensitive to their needs as evidenced by his kindness to the stranger Ruth and his field hands.

Ap. If you’re a Christian boss

Remember that how you care for your employees is a reflection of your faith!

2. Must not be harsh

In the 1^st Century Roman law gave authority to slave owners beat, starve, imprison and even kill their servants!

Few slave owners actually killed their slaves because they cost too much…

…but they often threatened to kill them or treated them harshly thinking they’d get more work out of them.

But Paul suggests a different tact…

“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.”

Vs. 9

That is, they were to treat their servants as brothers in Christ because from God’s perspective both master and servant were equals!

The servant still worked for his owner, but the owner was to treat the servant with the same respect and love that he would extend to a free brother.

The benefit of treating a servant as a brother is that the servant then has greater motivation for doing a good job for his master. (Positive motivation is always more productive than negative motivation.)

Ap. Share the benefits with your employees

The general principle here is that if you let your employees share in the results of their labor they will work harder and be more productive.

Christian employers should be the model that makes secular employers envious!

If you’re a boss ask the Lord what you can do to make working for you more beneficial to your employees…

…you’ll be glad you did because they’ll work harder for you and will stick with you rather than always looking for a better job.

3. Must submit to the Lord

Notice that Paul reminds masters that they have a Master too!

“your own Master also is in heaven” ~ vs. 9

His point is that we are all under the authority of our King and that should influence how we treat one another.

While we are all equal in Christ, none the less there is still an authority structure that we’re called to honor.

Wives submitting to husbands.

Children submitting to parents.

Servants submitting to masters.

Masters submitting to Christ.

As each person submits their life to the Lord they will find it easy to submit themselves to the person, or people over them.

Ap. Servant leadership

Remember though that as Christians the person who desires to be the greatest must become the servant of all!

So, if you’re an employer when it comes to exercising your authority remember that Jesus is your example.

That means before you begin your day you should remind yourself that you answer to Jesus and that He is concerned with how you exercise your authority over your workers.

So, if you’re submitted to Christ you’ll find that your employees won’t have trouble submitting to your authority.

4) Must not show favoritism

Lastly Paul reminds masters that God doesn’t show favoritism when dealing with His children…

“and there is no partiality with Him.” ~ vs. 9

Therefore, neither should masters show favoritism in their dealings with their servants because it will cause friction between workers and that leads to poor performance.

Ex. Jacob’s favoritism toward Joseph

Ap. Spread the work around

The Christian boss should make sure that he doesn’t always give the cushy jobs to some employees while always giving the tough jobs to others.

Spread the work around so that everyone feels that they are being treated fairly.

If you do you’ll protect the harmony among your employees and the harmony between you and your workers.

Close

√ Harmony in the work place

Christian, whether you’re an employee or an employer your first duty is to your Master.

With that in mind seek to do your job as unto Jesus because your work in your primarily area of witness.