Ephesians 6:5-9 – The Secrets of Success – Bible study

Ephesians 6:5-9 The Secrets of Success I want to speak to you about success and I want to do so from a very strange text. In our politically charged world today, this would not be a good text to preach from or even to refer to; but I am going to anyway. The reason is not because I (or God) believes slavery is or was good. It was not. The reason is because of the truths God gives to us not about slavery but about authority. I. Authority and Submission are Biblical. A. \#5\ Speaks to Slaves. Eph 6:5 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; 1. Slavery is not a good thing. It is bad. It has always been bad. 2. But notice that even in the situation of slavery, God still expects there to be authority and He expects those under authority to submit. 3. Let me tell you up front, I dont like that. a. If I was making the rules, I would say that if you were involved in an unwilling or unjust situation, it is all right to rebel. b. But I cannot get away from the fact that God puts a great emphasis on submission even when we dont want to and dont like it. B. \#7-8\ God raised the stakes. 1. God said that Christian slaves are actually treating God with whatever attitude and work ethic that they treat their owners. Eph 6:5 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; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 2. That is tough to bear, but that is what the Bible teaches. C. This is not God approving slavery. 1. This is God demanding submission to authority, even unjust authority. 2. If God says submission is due to an unjust authority, how much more it is due to a just authority? 3. Both submission and leadership are part of the will of God for our lives in marriage, in work, and in government. 4. We must learn both to lead and to follow or we will be out of Gods will in multiple areas of our lives. Eph 5:21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. 1 Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; II. \#5-7\ How to be successful by following. A. \#5\ We follow by obeying. Eph 6:5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters. 1. There can be no submission without obedience. 2. Submission is more than obedience but there is no submission without obedience. 3. It is impossible to speak of submission and obedience without speaking to the parents for the parents are the only authority that can teach submission and obedience. a. No flesh naturally obeys. (1) We see that in our children at home. (2) We see that in children brought to daycare and school. (3) We see that detention centers, jails, and on psych wards. b. Parents, you are the most important leaders your child will ever have and you have the most important task your child will ever learn: to be submissive. 4. (Parents) Truths about obedience and discipline: a. The younger a person is taught, the easier it is for everyone. b. People who are never taught obedience, never learn. c. People who never learn obedience have a hard life. d. Parents who never teach obedience will have a hard life too. 5. Parents, there are a variety of tools to use to teach your child discipline: a. Some of the never to use tools are: shouting, belittling, being anger, slapping, beating, any form of cruelty b. Some of the tools to use: (1) discussion (2) Prayer (3) Denial (4) Time out (5) extra work (6) Early to bed and early to rise (7) rewarding good behavior (8) Spanking B. \#5\ We are to follow "with fear and trembling." 1. The expression is of one which at the least demands reverence and respect. 2. Here is what I mean that when I say there is more to submission than just obedience. a. If you get the right behavior with the wrong attitude, you might have gotten obedience, but you did not get submission. b. To be honest, GETTING the right attitude most often comes by GIVING the right attitude. c. The boss that belittles and embarrasses his employee at work may get the desired response the next time, but he will never get a better attitude. d. Neither will the parent or the police officer or the judge or the law maker. e. Whether we are the leader or the follower, we are all entitled to respect. 3. When Paul wrote the words "fear and trembling," he was writing to slaves who were owned by a master. a. This was under Greek law not Jewish so the Jewish protections God had written into the Old Testament Law did not apply. (1) That was a condition of absolute authority. (2) There were no appeals. (3) So Paul made it clear that slaves should be fearful in their obedience to their master. b. However in our world today, that is not normally the case. (1) Most of us are free to find another job. (2) Based on the statistics, I would say that most think they are free to find another mate as well. (3) When it comes to work, dont stay in chains for money. (4) If you are being mistreated, go find you a better job even if it is for lesser money. (5) Both leaders and followers should be respected. C. \#5\ We are to follow "in singleness of heart." 1. That is loyalty. 2. Singleness of heart means having a singular goal, love, or desire. 3. It should be the goal and desire of the follower to help and aid the leader. a. If you are the leader and you find that is not the goal of those who leading you, you should get rid of them and get a better batch. b. Except in the home. In the home you are kind of stuck with what you get. 4. Of course, it should also be the goal of the leader to help and aid the follower. a. I am a capitalist. However, capitalism like everything else has flaws in it. b. It has flaws because sinful men are involved in it. c. Most capitalist (at least today) believe the goal of capitalism is to make money. (1) That is part of it, but that is not an end in itself. (2) It is to make money TO HELP PEOPLE. (3) If you lose those last three words, you lose it all. (4) The first group of people every good capitalist should want to help should be his workers, realizing that the more loyalty you show to them, the more loyalty they will show to you. 5. We are living in a very disloyal world today. a. I suppose that is because we are living in a loveless, selfish world. b. Somebody must learn love and loyalty again or our selfishness will destroy it all. D. \#6\ We are not to follow "with eyeservice but as the servants of Christ" 1. That phrase means with diligence, with sincere and honest effort. 2. It should be the desire of every follower that their leader succeed and the goal of every leader that the followers succeedso much so that each works hard to make that happen. E. \#7\ We are to follow "with good will" – The idea is desiring, wishing, and working for good on the part of those in authority. III. How to be a successful leader. A. \#9\ Do the same things! Eph 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. 1. Here is where abuse of authority begins! Many leaders have the mistaken belief that they are to receive more than they give! 2. No! a. Leaders should listen and as often as they can, do what their followers desire. b. Leaders should give respect. c. Leaders should give loyalty to their followers. d. Leaders should give diligence in helping, growing, and blessing their followers. e. Leaders should desire, wish, and work for the good of those following you. 3. Do give any less to those who are under your authority is wrong! 4. I often say that a husband has no right to expect his wife to obey as the Bible commands her unless he loves as the Bible commands him. 5. I can alter that to say that no husband, parent, employer, or company as any right to expect his followers to submit as the Bible commands them unless he leads them as the Bible commands him. 6. Give the things you expect to receive. It is a clear, Bible teaching. Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. B. But the leader has more responsibilities than to simply treat his followers as they should treat him: 1. The leader must remember he stands in Gods stead to his followers. Eph 6:9 knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him. a. Every leader is an intermediary for the Lord. b. Leaders had best treat their followers as they want their Master to treat them. 2. The leaders must have a place to go. a. You cannot lead people if you do not have a destination. b. To be honest, no one can lead in everything. c. The best leaders know when to step back and let someone else take over. 3. The leaders must have a plan to get their followers to their destination. a. The first step in every act of leadership is to consult God and His Word to find where He wants them to go and how He wants them to get there. b. That is true in marriage, in rearing a child, in building a business, and in running a country. We have parents, bosses, owners of companies, and some very wealthy people; but we do not have very many successful people. Having a child is not the same as being successful parent. Have a business is not the same as being a successful business owner. Having money is not the same as having a successful life. The point to this message has not been how to have kids, a business, or money. It has been in how to be successful. Being successful is the most important thing.