2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
This morning I am led to conclude our examination of the book of Ephesians with EPH 6: 5-9, which deals with slaves and masters. As I mentioned at the end of yesterday's message, the principles stated in this passage can apply to the comparison of a God-centered belief system with one that is worldly. I will not be discussing EPH 6: 21-23, which contain Paul's final greetings and the information that he was sending Tychicus, a faithful co-worker to Ephesus to update the Christians there on him and encourage them. Remember that EPH 4-6 were Paul's "how to" for applying the blessings outlined in EPH 1-3.
You will remember that I previously brought up what, upon first inspection, seems like an enigma in comparing RO 1: 1 with JN 8: 31-32. Let me cite these verses again. RO 1: 1, "From Paul, a bondservant to Christ, set apart for the Gospel." JN 8: 31-32, "So Jesus said to those who believed in Him, 'If you obey My teaching, you are really My disciples; you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." The question here is how can we be servants and be free at the same time? Anyone with an intimate knowledge of the Lord won't have to struggle with that question. That is because with real faith, he would want to serve the Lord with gladness and would know that doing so and enduring in His faith leads to the freedom of eternal life. This is not grace without license as the Anti-nomian objectors of Paul's time tried to teach, but is knowing what is in RO 3: 24-25 and desiring to act on it; in other words, wanting to obey God out of love for Him. "But by the free gift of God's grace all are put right with Him through Christ Jesus, Who set them free. God offer Him, so that by His death He should become the means by which people's sins are forgiven through their faith in Him."
Now, let's look at EPH 6: 5-8, which was Paul's advice on what slaves should do. "Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling; and do it with a sincere heart, as though you were serving Christ. Do this not only when they are watching you, because you want to gain their approval; but with all your heart do what God wants, as slave of Christ.. Do your work as slave cheerfully as thought you served the Lord, and not merely men. Remember that the Lord will reward everyone, whether slave or free, for the good work he does." While human slavery is not practiced in our modern society, the principle of how to approach our servanthood for the Lord is seen clearly though this passage. We are not to be hypocrites, liars, or to exhibit any of the other ungodly behavior that is rooted in the devil making a stronghold in our lives. PR 8: 1, 6-8, "Listen! Wisdom is calling out. Reason is making herself heard...Listen to My excellent words; all I tell you is right. What I say is the truth; lies are hateful to me. Everything I say is true; nothing is false or misleading." Our Lord is omniscient, and He knows the contents of our hearts, no matter what we say or do. If He scolded the traditional Jews of Paul's time for their legalism and hypocrisy, He would surely want to scold us for the same thing if we were practicing it. That is because our God is always consistent. It is obvious to those who are spiritually alert that the adversary sets traps for us, and God wants us to refuse to get caught in them. David prayed about this in PS 31: 3-4, "You [the Lord] are my Refuge and Defense; guide me and lead me as You have promised. Keep me safe from the trap that has been set for me; shelter me from danger."
We are reminded that we cannot serve two masters, which could certainly apply to attempting to mix the values of the world with the value of God [MT 6: 24]. This has been tried and led to great disasters in the past. One need only read the books of Kings and Chronicles to know that. EPH 6: 9 has God's will for masters. "Masters, behave in the same way toward your slaves and stop using threats. Remember that you and your slaves belong to the same Master in heaven, Who judges everyone by the same standard." We labor under a man-made society system that ranks mankind by such superficial things as money, educational achievements, marital status, job prestige or lack thereof, celebrity, and athletic prowess. This man-made hierarchy has brought a lot of pain and suffering into our lives. Think about it. God looks at the things that transcend the grave in assessing His opinion of a person. We need to examine our own lives as individuals and members of the Body of Christ to see how we personally think about ourselves and others around us. We need to take a look at how we think God views the conduct of our lives and the quality of our thoughts. The best way to know what we should change and what is okay is remember RO 12: 2, "Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by the renewal of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God-what is good and is pleasing to Him and is perfect."
PRAYER: O Lord, we stand before You today as imperfect sinners in need of Your guidance and direction. You have told us through Paul in 2 TIM 3: 16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and useful in teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." You have also instructed us to don Your full armor and "do all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people" [EPH 6: 18]. Your word, prayer, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit are powerful weapons against the onslaught of the devil. While it is true that both You and the devil come to us in the places where we are vulnerable, these gifts from You will enable us to know when it is You challenging us to make changes to conform to Your ways or when it is the adversary trying to widen the distance between us and You. We dedicate ourselves to reaching for Your perspective, studying Your word with diligence, and following Christ's example in prayer. When we do this, You allow us to feel Your loving and encouraging presence in our lives at all times. You make Your will clear to us and help us to make wise decisions, if we will only listen to You. You are our Friend, when we need encouragement, guidance, compassion, and Your patience. For that, the death of Your Son for us, for the gifts and blessings You bestow upon us, and because You deserve nothing less, we offer You our adoration, confession, worship, loyalty, diligence, trust, obedience, honor, glory, praise, and thanksgiving. In Christ's name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will begin looking at the question: do we have to be frightened when the devil assails us? This issue is not as simple as it appears on the surface. We really need to have a deeper understanding of the love that our Abba has for each of us and to what extent He will act when the enemy is working on us. It gives me great comfort to know that none of us face spiritual warfare alone, stranded, unarmed, or ill equipped for victory in Christ's name, if we endure in our faith. Trusting God isn't always the easiest thing to do, but we are assured in 1 COR 10: 13 that we never face a test that we can't overcome when we are faithful and trust in Him. That is one more way that we can feel the warmth of His love. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn