Series: Ephesians
Title: Your
Master is in Heaven
Text: Ephesians 6: 9
Date: January 7, 2015
Place: BBC, Springlake, NC
Ephesians 6: 9: And, ye masters, do the same
things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in
heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
Paul is writing to believers. Both words translated “masters” are translated
from the same word. “Masters” means one in authority; one who has power of
making decisions over others. It is not the same word used in other places
where Christ is called Master. Sometimes
“Master” means “teacher”, or “rabbi or guide.” In our text, the word translated
“master” is the same as when Christ is called “Lord.” As it applies to
believers, in our day, it applies to an employer, or a boss, who is over employees
or anyone who has authority over others who serve.
Every believer who is a master is to govern their
servants justly, with equity, knowing that you have a Master which is above you,
Christ Jesus your Lord.
So in order to understand the three important points
given in verse 9, we will look at how Christ is Lord and Master over his
people. Christ Jesus is the just and equitable Lord to his people; Christ the Master
forebears threatening his servants; and Christ the Lord shows no respect of
persons.
CHRIST THE MASTER FOREBEARS
THREATENING
First, Christ the Lord forbears threatening, “ye masters,
do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening.” (Eph 6: 9) The word
“forebear” means “loosen.” Earthly masters are not to rule their servants with hardness
and harshness, with rigor, with hot temper, but with gentleness, kindness and
moderation. It means to “loosen the yoke; make it light and easy, bearable.” Is
that not what our Lord did for us?
When we were the servants of sin, we were under a heavy
yoke: the bondage of Satan, sin and curse of the law. It is pictured in Pharaoh’s treatment of the
children of Israel while they were in Egyptian bondage, “they did set over them
taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens…the Egyptians made the children
of Israel to serve with rigour:…they made their lives bitter with hard bondage,...all
their service, wherein they made them serve, [was] with rigour.” (Ex 1: 11, 13,
14) But Christ our Lord heard the cry of his people, “Now therefore, behold,
the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the
oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.” (Ex 3: 9) So Christ the
Master came and delivered Israel from their heavy yoke.
Yet, we see something else concerning our sin. Even after
he delivered Israel out of bondage, those who were not given a new heart used
God’s law to oppress their fellow Israelites. “He looked for judgment, but
behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.” (Is 5: 7) Those redeemed
from Egyptian bondage turned around and oppressed their own brethren with the
same hard bondage!
Brethren, let us not be guilty of that. Some who have
heard the gospel of Christ, who claim to be redeemed by his grace, turn around
and yoke their brethren with the law of Moses. He is teaching us do not even do
so in the workplace. Do not be children
of grace in the Lord’s house then be Pharaohs’ taskmasters in the workplace!
From eternity, our covenant-keeping Master promised to
deliver his people from the oppressive yoke of bondage. He declared through the
prophet Isaiah how he would be Master over his church, “all thy children [shall
be] taught of the LORD; and great [shall be] the peace of thy children. In righteousness
shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt
not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee….This is the
heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith
the LORD.” (Is 54: 13-14, 17) When the time was come, from his throne in glory,
Christ our Lord said, “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the
needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that
puffeth at him.” (Ps 12: 5)
Christ our Master came to “forbear threatening”—to loose
and remove the rigorous yoke of bondage, the threatening of law of offended justice
over us for our sin. He came to take the heavy yoke off his people forever by
his one offering. Having accomplished the work our Master sends forth the gospel
and by the Holy Spirit, gives each of his children a new heart, saying,
Matthew
11: 28: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. 29: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30: For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light.
By his power our Master, makes us willing to take the
yoke of his gospel upon us and learn of him. Our Master teaches his servants,
not by threatening but in meekness and lowliness of heart. Brethren, that is a
just and equitable thing for earthly master’s to do for their servants. In meekness
and lowliness of heart, teach them the gospel of our heavenly Master. Our Lord
is above all. Yet, that is what our Lord did for us, his lowly servants.
Our Master revealed in us that he redeemed us from that
heavy, binding yoke of the curse of the law. He delivered us by being made a
curse for us on Calvary’s cursed tree. Now, we are justified freely by his
blood. Brethren, it would be a good way to illustrate our heavenly Masters work
for us, by taking the heavy burden off the servant and bear it for them
sometimes.
Our heavenly Lord frees his servants from the heavy yoke
of our sin-nature, taking over as Master of our new hearts. “Now the Lord is
that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Cor 3:
17) Our Master frees his servants from the oppressive yoke of sin’s dominion, declaring
in our hearts, “sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the
law, but under grace.” (Rom 6: 14) And our Master continues to keep us under
his light and easy yoke, continually strengthening us, continually reminding us
through his gospel, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath
made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Gal 5: 1) As
our Lord promised, we “find rest unto our souls. For his yoke is easy, and his burden
is light.” He makes us his servants—the servants of Righteousness—but he did
not bring us out of bondage to bring us back into bondage, “For ye have not
received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit
of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” (Rom 8: 15)
CHRIST THE MASTER
IS JUST AND EQUITABLE
Christ our Master says to every earthly master, “ye
masters, do the same things unto them.” (Eph 6: 9) In essence, he told the
servants to give to your masters that which is just and equal. Now he says to
masters, do the same to your servants, “Masters, give unto your servants that
which is just and equal.” (Col 4: 1)
Has Christ given us that which is just and equal? Indeed
he has! His commandments to us are not grievous, “For this is the love of God,
that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” (1 Jn 5:
3) “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son
Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” (1 Jn 3: 23)
For every earthly master, it is just and equal to give a
servant everything he needs to serve you. Christ our Lord has given us
everything we need. He made us the righteousness of God in the LORD our
Righteousness. We are sanctified in Christ who Sanctifieth, who is our
Sanctification. We are redeemed by Christ our Redeemer, who himself is our
Redemption.
Our heavenly Master has not laid any grievous burdens on
us when it comes to loving our brethren. He has given us a command that is just
and equal. By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we heed his simple
exhortations of grace, like these he gives us in Ephesians:
Ephesians
5: 1: Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2: And walk in love, as
Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a
sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Ephesians
5: 22: [Believing] Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the
Lord.
Ephesians
5: 25: [Believing] Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself for it;
Ephesians
6: 1: [Believing] Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Ephesians
6: 4: [Believing] fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them
up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Ephesians
6: 5: [Believing] Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according
to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto
Christ;
Ephesians
6: 9: [Believing] masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing
threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven;…
Brethren, we have a good Master. He has freed us from the
yoke of bondage. Now he gives us this light and easy yoke, saying, “Rest in me
and love one another, as loving me your heavenly Husband, your heavenly Father,
your heavenly Master.” He says give your servants that which is just and equal
and forebear the heavy yoke of bondage and threatening.
CHRIST OUR MASTER
IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS
Lastly, the apostle reminds us, “your Master also is in heaven, neither is
there respect of persons with him.” (Eph 6: 9) One of the earliest translations
reads—“knowing that your Master, both theirs and yours also”—your servant’s Master
and yours also—“is in heaven.” This
reminds us of the equality of servants and masters in the sight of our Lord
Jesus.
Remember, our Lord did not choose his people because of
anything in us. He chose us by his free and sovereign grace alone. Now, in
Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile, rich or poor, bond or free; but Christ
is All and in all. Our heavenly Master showed us by his great work of
redemption on our behalf that he hates robbery and oppression and all
unrighteousness. So Christ takes notice of those who oppress and pervert judgment
and justice in the earth, especially who do it to his people.
Ecclesiates
5:8: If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of
judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is
higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.
Christ does not judge as man judges. He will not condemn
a man who is a servant simply because he is a servant; he will not acquit a man
who is a master simply because he is master. It is not our person—face, place,
or race—that Christ respects but obedience from the heart,
For example the first mention of “respect” is Abel. He
obeyed God from the heart. That which makes a work a “good thing” before
Christ, is his grace working in the heart making us the servant of Christ, to
do the will of God from the heart as unto the Lord, your Master in heaven. He
tells both servants and masters to do all “as the servants of Christ, doing the
will of God from the heart. With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and
not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he
receive of the Lord, whether he be
bond or free.” (Eph 6: 6) Whether a servant or master a “good thing” is good
only by God’s grace. And “The same shall he receive of the Lord.” By God’s grace
you will receive good from the Lord. Believer, when wealthy, powerful masters, rulers
of this world, pervert your cause because of your lowly position, be sure
Christ will not. Trust Christ to provide!
But if wrong is done it is of the flesh. And that man
shall receive also, without respect of persons, “But he that doeth wrong shall receive
for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.” (Col 3:
25) The rich, wealthy, dignified master who is unjust will not be overlooked by
Christ because of his position in this life. If he be not Christ’s servant, Christ will not
only give him the same in this life but also in the life to come without
respect of his person.
James
5: 4: Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which
is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped
are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth…Be patient therefore brethren
till the coming of the Lord.
Brethren, it is such a comfort to know we have a just
Master who shall give each of his people that which his his righteousness
demands be given to us freely! The Judge of the whole earth shall do right! He
cannot be bribed or corrupted in any way. What a comfort!
Therefore, he reminds every believer in position or power
that he is not exempt from chastening simply because he is a master. As you get that promotion and become masters
at your work place, remember when it comes to treating servants justly and
equally, do not look on their outward appearance—on relationships, beauty,
rank, wealth, friendship and such. And when it comes to the just wage, the just
treatment and the just cause of a servant, let the faithful earthly master give
to him, with no respect of his person.
Job knew Christ was his only Righteousness to stand
before God in the day of judgment. It made Job reverence his Master in heaven;
it made Job to be like his Master. Listen,
Job 31:
11: For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the
judges. 12: For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out
all mine increase. 13: If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my
maidservant, when they contended with me; 14: What then shall I do when God
riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him? 15: Did not he that
made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?
So believer, do everything as unto your Master in heaven.
“So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
13: For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and
mercy rejoiceth against judgment.” (Ja 2: 12-13) “As free, and not using your
liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honor all men.” (1 Pet 2: 16-17)
Amen!