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BIBLE STUDY LESSON
For
the week beginning Sunday September 13, 2020
SERVANTS AND SUPERIORS
Ephesians 6:5-9
The
word "slave" or "slaves" is translated from the original language
only twice in scripture, once in the O. T. (Jeremiah 2:14), and once in the N.
T. (Revelation 18:13). In all other occurrences the word "servant" is
translated from the original Greek and Hebrew text, not "slave".
The definition of the word “slave" is that, it is,
"one who is bound in servitude to another “without payment for
services". The word "servant", on the other hand, is defined as
"one who is employed to perform services" for another and is paid a
specified agreed amount for those services. With that said, in biblical times,
it was quite common for a person to trade menial services for money, food, land,
or any other necessary or unnecessary things. In today's society that is called
a “job”.
"The borrower is always the servant of the lender" (Proverbs
22:7). When we get ourselves into debt, particularly due
to greed, or envy of what others have, or any other GODly or ungodly reason, we
become servants to our lenders, and our jobs. Probably with the exception of a
house to live in, we probably should not borrow money, and if we can afford to
pay cash for the house, it would be wise to do so.
In the spiritual sense, anyone who is not a
servant to GOD is a slave or servant to man, whether they realize it or not.
And oftentimes, in the biblical days, even the “children of the debtor” could
end up paying for services that were rendered to their parents, or, can end up
working off the debts of their parents. When we are
in financial debt, the lender owns a piece of us, and we, in effect, become
their “servant”. And even when the lender dies, we may become the servant of
their “heirs” by way of their inheritance.
In Ephesians 6, verses 5-9 Paul speaks on
the very necessary topic of the “relationship between servants and superiors”.
Here in this passage the apostle advises Christians that we must be careful to
be GODly, even in those relationships, and even if that relationship is a
covenant between believing and unbelieving parties.
The servant must always obey and respect
their superiors on their jobs. We must serve them as sincerely as we would
CHRIST JESUS (v.5). We should work hard, even when our superior is not watching
us, simply because we are also servants of CHRIST, and want, very badly, to do
the will of GOD (v.6). We must work with enthusiasm as if we were working for
the LORD, rather than for the people we are indebted to, and the LORD will
reward us for the good and honest things that we do, regardless of the extent
of our indebtedness to others (Vs.7-8).
The
work superiors also have a responsibility under GOD to treat their servants
rightly. They must not oppress or threaten the people who work for them,
especially those superiors who are also believers. They must remember at all
times that they too, have a “SUPERIOR” WHO dwells in Heaven, and HE HIMSELF
does not have any “favorites” among HIS people (v.9).
CALLED TO STAND FIRM
In Ephesians 6:10-18, the Apostle Paul closes out his letter to
the Ephesians with a remarkably creative summary of his overall message to
them. Here he paints a vivid picture of the spiritual resources one would have
to clothe himself with, if he is to do battle with the unseen world of evil
that dictates to our “sin nature”, and manifests its negative results in our
physical lives.
As Christians, we are waging the fight of
our lives on a daily basis, and our opponent is not one who is visible to our
physical eyes. And while certainly we can feel his assault on our bodies,
sadly, we continue to fight a losing battle because we fail to correctly
identify just who our assailant really is.
In order to wage a successful battle, we
must first realize that the enemy is, not, other people, but rather, it is
satan himself. And if we are going to fight against this enemy, and win, we
must turn our battles over to GOD. The battle with satan is a battle for our
souls, and in order to overcome him, we must put on “the full armor of GOD”.
In order to beat us, satan uses such
weapons as “pride”, “lust”, “other people”, and “doubt”. If we are to make a
successful stand against him, we must incorporate “truth”, “righteousness”, “peace”,
“faith”, “salvation”, and “the Word of GOD”. In short, we must don the full
armor of GOD daily. We cannot use carnal weapons and expect to defeat the evil
one in our own natural strength. But by clothing ourselves with the full armor
of GOD, we become more than conquerors through our strength in CHRIST JESUS.
When we equip ourselves with all that GOD
provides us, we are well able to win the spiritual battles that we will
inevitably have to wage every single day of our lives here on earth. Paul’s
colorful description of the battle attire of GOD, is cleverly likened to the
panoply of a Roman soldier, because he wants to ensure that the people
understand exactly what they are up against, and how GOD has already provided
the resources needed to overcome such a formidable foe.
Warren Wiersbe once wrote, “Sooner or later every believer discovers
that the Christian life is a battleground, not a playground, and that he faces
an enemy who is much stronger than he is, apart from GOD”. As Christians,
and, as human beings, we face, on a daily basis, three weapons, that are
perpetually exploited by satan:
·
First, there is “the world”, which refers to the
systematic opposition to GOD that surrounds us everywhere we go.
·
Then there is “the flesh” which is controlled by
our own “sin nature” which we inherited from Adam’s disobedience to GOD, and,
that is opposed to GOD and can naturally do nothing to please GOD in any way.
·
And then finally, there is the “evil spirit”,
the devil himself, who gets into us and manipulates our thoughts, and thus
dictates our actions and deeds, causing us to make all sorts of ungodly
decisions in life.
We should be eternally thankful to JESUS
for salvation through HIS overcoming of “the world”, “the flesh”, and “the evil
spirit” of satan. We do not have to fight for victory, because the victory is
already won. Now, we only have to fight from the victorious standpoint that
CHRIST JESUS has given us. And the HOLY SPIRIT enables us, by faith, to
appropriate HIS victory for ourselves, when we choose to fight and pray in
GOD’s army, and, in the name, of CHRIST JESUS, our LORD and DELIVERER.
In Paul’s closing words to the Ephesians he
lets them know that he is sending Tychicus, his beloved brother in CHRIST, to
encourage them, and, to let them know how he was getting along while he is
incarnated there in Rome.
In his final words we find a blessing being
called down from GOD, by Paul, upon the people at the Church in Ephesus. Here
Paul calls for the “peace” of GOD (man’s highest good), the “love” of GOD”, the
complete resting of “faith” in CHRIST, and the all-important “grace” of GOD,
which sustains us all, to abide with them, forever.
A Sunday school lesson
by,
Larry D. Alexander
Larry Dell Alexander (1953–)
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas
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