Timothy chapter six. First Timothy six. We're gonna read verses one and two. In first Timothy well, first Timothy itself is a what? We call it an epistle.

What's an epistle? A letter. Okay? It's a letter from Paul to Timothy with some instructions that Paul felt, and I believe is led by the Holy Spirit to give to Timothy that he was in need of as he took over the ministry in the city of Ephesus. He gave him instructions concerning the worship.

He gave him instructions concerning the leadership. He gave him instructions concerning different groups and their needs within the church and how to deal with each one and to help them. It is very practical book. And even though it was written to Timothy in particular, really, it was written to the church because it is instructions to Timothy concerning the church. And so, a very helpful book for us to get to know better because we are a church and we deal with some of the same issues that Timothy dealt with in the city of Ephesus.

This particular passage this evening is a bit different because society and culture has changed. And so some of the things we read about this evening are a little bit different than our society and the way it is structured today. And praise the Lord, it is structured differently in regards to this particular issue. But it was a very real, a very commonplace situation, especially for many of the Christians and believers in the Roman world in Paul's day. And so Paul needed to address how to deal with this situation which was in the least uncomfortable and sometimes very extremely difficult.

So if you look in first Timothy six one and two, we read this. Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather do them service because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort. So, one of the things that may have come across Timothy's mind and certainly had come across other Christians' mind in the world of Paul's day is how do we as Christians how do we relate, how do we respond to our masters?

And because many of believers in Paul's day were slaves. K. Use the word servant here, but the word servant is is not diaconos, which is one form of the word servant that is translated deacon in the scriptures, meaning a a someone who is just serving to choosing to serve another person based totally upon their free will versus doulos, which is the is the word here, which simply means, in our understanding, slave. So he is writing to Timothy to instruct him on how to instruct how to counsel those who were in slavery. And the fact is there were probably more believers in the early Roman world that were in slavery than there were that were free.

This was commonplace particularly in the Roman world and many of the believers in the early church were not wealthy people. Therefore, in many cases, they were not free people. They were in servitude in a household to a master. So this is very pertinent to the world of Paul's day and is still pertinent to us, and we'll get to that in just a minute. But let's consider, first of all, the condition of servitude.

Number one, as I mentioned, it was commonplace and a station of life in which many early Christians found themselves. Number two, it was not easily remedied for many born into a life of servitude would die in a life of servitude. So many of these people that Paul was writing about here, they were born into servitude. They lived their life in servitude. They would die in servitude to an earthly master.

And this, again, was just the reality that these people had to deal with in their day and time. Praise the Lord. That has changed. There are few things that have changed for the better in the world in which we live. Praise the Lord.

This is one of them that people do not live in this form of servitude as they once did. But that is just the reality of Paul's day. For some, it was a means to an end. Okay? Not all those who were in servitude or slavery were born into slavery and had no choice in the matter.

For some, it was a means to an end, enter entering willing entered willingly either to pay off a debt or to provide for daily necessities. There were many people who chose to go into servitude. Why? Well, in some cases, they owed a debt that was so big that they could never pay the debt. And rather than being thrown into prison because they couldn't pay a debt, they felt it was better to offer themselves in servitude to the one that they owed the debt to so that they could pay off the debt.

In those cases, the slavery, the the condition was not always permanent. Once they had paid off the debt, then sometimes they could go free again. This was a condition going back all the way into the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, it was fairly common for people who couldn't pay their debts to be taken as slaves. And then at the year of Jubilee, every fiftieth year in Israel, anybody that was in servitude for those kind of reasons would be set what?

Would be set free. Okay? Whether their debt was paid or not. Praise the Lord. We owe a debt we could never pay.

But Jesus Christ paid it for us on the cross of Calvary. So some entered into it in order to pay a debt. Some because they didn't have any other means to provide for themselves. So there was a lot of there were people that had wealth who needed servants and they basically sold themselves into servitude. Why?

Well, because the master would provide lodging, the master would provide food, the master would provide clothing, and so their daily necessities would be met. And so, again, it was not irregular for somebody to purposefully sell themselves into servitude so that they would have their daily provisions. Sadly, poverty is something that is always with us. One day when Christ returns, that won't be a problem. But sadly, poverty and sometimes people making extremely poor choices, they end up sleeping on the front porch or out here under the awning.

There is a good chance with the weather the way it is that somebody will huddle up in the corner out here tonight trying to get out of the wind because they don't have a roof and they don't have good clothes and they don't have good food. And so, in Paul's day, people would purposefully sell themselves in the servitude in order to provide for those needs if they found no other way. Another reason for people finding themselves in servitude in Paul's day, which was by being a conquered people. We see this in the Old Testament and it was still true in Rome in Paul's day. If you were a conquered people, the conquered people were often taken as slaves to the conquering people, and that was a common situation that often led to mistreatment by those that had been conquered because they they saw them as lesser people than their masters and that would often lead to poor conditions, particularly in slavery.

In the South, obviously, and to some extent in the North in The United States, slavery was for a time, very common, but very wrong. Slaves were often treated like cattle. They were property, and thus they were often poorly treated, bartered, sold without respect for family. And praise the Lord, that type of slavery here ended. Has slavery itself ended?

No. Many countries around this world that still people still own slaves. They still own people. And there are people that are in slavery in The United States today. It is illegal, but sadly, that is still the case.

Slavery has not been eradicated. It has just been made illegal in many places, but clearly not all. So while we observe how terrible slavery could be and how detestable, I believe, in the sight of God, Not all slavery was equally detestable, and people were in slavery and servitude for different reasons. Either way, particularly for those who were not being treated as livestock, not being sold and bartered and mistreated, their servitude was just a reality of life, particularly in the day in which Paul lived. And they had to manage that reality.

And the temptation would be, if you were a slave, particularly if you were born into that situation or were conquered or would be to rebel, to to not honor your master, to not respect and do your best. That, I would imagine, for many people would be human nature. But as Christians, we are called to go above our human nature and to follow our divine nature because the Holy Spirit lives where? Inside of our hearts. And so God asks us, nay expects us to walk in the spirit and not in the what?

And not in the flesh. And that means going against the grain and that means doing things that aren't easy and sometimes difficult. And for those who are in slavery, particularly servitude they didn't choose, what Paul had to say was not easy. But it isn't just Paul's word, it's whose word. It's God's word.

And so God spoke to them through Paul and said, this is the reality. This is a reality for many and instructed them how to respond in a godly manner. This passage is not meant to be a treatise on the morality of slavery, but a word of encouragement and instructions to those who find found themselves in such straits. If you'd hold your place in Timothy, if you turn over to Philemon. K?

Again, Philemon was a slave owner, was a master. Onesimus had been his slave. Onesimus had escaped servitude and eventually, Onesimus ran into who? He ran into Paul. And guess what happened?

Onesimus trusted Christ. Onesimus became a Christian. Onesimus probably had some thoughts and questions about what to do now. He had fled his master. What should he do?

Well, two things. Number one, Paul sent him back to Philemon. That's what Paul did. Paul didn't say, oh, you're you're right. This never should have been this way and maybe it shouldn't have, but nonetheless, it was.

And so Paul's advice to Onesimus was to go back to Philemon with a letter written by Paul to Philemon to go with him to be read. And so we're going to read a few verses of that letter. If you'll look in verses 15 through 17, he's Paul writes, Philemon says, for perhaps he therefore departed for a season that thou shouldest receive him forever. Not now as a what? Servant.

Again, the word is doulos. No. Not now as a slave, but above a slave, a brother beloved, especially to me, but how much more unto thee both in the flesh and in the Lord? If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. So what was Paul's advice to Philemon?

Receive Onesimus back and do what? And treat him as an equal, treat him as a brother in Christ, treat him no longer as a what? As a slave. Okay? So that is Paul's advice here, which again gives us a glimpse into glimpse into God's view on the matter.

Certainly, we see here that Paul's advice was to receive him not as a slave but as an equal. So moving on to Paul's instructions to the servants. Okay? What were his instructions? Well, back to first Timothy six, he said, let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of the Lord the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.

So Paul's instruction was don't run away, don't rebel, don't curse your master, don't disobey them, do your best, and treat them with what? With honor and respect. Easy thing to do. Easy instruction. Can you imagine being in their place?

Some of them in particular? No. But yet this is Paul's advice and God's instruction. And turn if you would back to Ephesians chapter six. Ephesians six.

Okay? Ephesians six five through eight. Servants, be obedient to them that are masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling and singleness of your heart as unto Christ. Not with eye service as men pleasers, but as servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart. With goodwill doing services to the Lord and not to men.

Here, Paul gives instruction to servants, thus slaves, people in servitude, to be obedient to their masters and to do it not as unto them because they may not be worthy, but who is? Who is worthy? That Christ is worthy. So he said, do it as unto the Lord and not as unto men. Look if you would in Colossians chapter three twenty two and twenty four.

Colossians three twenty two and twenty four. 23 through 24. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart fearing God. And whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not unto men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ. So Paul writes to them here in Colossians, believers in the city of Colossae, and says, obey your masters.

Do it as unto the Lord knowing who sees. God sees. The Lord sees. Your true Lord. The one who made you.

The one who saved you. He knows what you have suffered. He knows the difficulty that you've dealt with, and he knows the service that you rendered. And even if your earthly master does not render proper reward, God in heaven one day one day will. So do it as unto the Lord and not unto men.

And that very much parallels what we read here in first Timothy chapter six and Paul's instruction to the servants, those in servitude here in the city of Ephesus, that they count their masters worthy of honor, meaning that they should be obeyed. In other words, do your job well, not defying their orders or purposely holding back or cursing them behind their back. Treat them with honor. Be different. What are we called as Christians to do?

To be what? To be salt and light in the world for Jesus Christ. We make a difference by being different. We make a difference by responding differently than the world does. And so they had an opportunity here to be salt and light by showing the power and the grace of Christ even to their earthly, what?

To their earthly masters. Meaning that they should be treated with respect, not insolence or grumbling. The reasons for this instruction were twofold. The testimony of who? The testimony of the Lord.

Because if you name the name of Christ, you say you are a follower and believer of the Lord Jesus Christ, then what we do reflects on who? Reflects on our our our true master in heaven. So for the testimony of the Lord, be careful how you respond and don't don't allow the difficulty and the anger that this can engender to cause you to do things to bring dishonor to your Lord. And as you represent the Lord, it also affects the furtherance of the the furtherance of the gospel because our gospel witness is affected by how we respond to other people. So if we want our gospel witness to be the most effective, it's going to require at times some personal sacrifice on our part.

Because isn't the soul of your neighbor or your friend or your coworker important enough to take a little bit of abuse and to have some patience and endurance in the midst of trial for the testimony of the Lord and the furtherance of the gospel. When Paul writes in Philippians chapter one and he says he speaks of having joy. Where is he? He is under house arrest in Rome, awaiting trial before Caesar, and potentially his execution. And he writes the Philippian believers to encourage them.

And he says, you know, I know it bothers you that I'm in jail, but it doesn't bother me. Because he said, you know what? I have got I've had the opportunity to witness to people that I would never have had if I had if I hadn't been taken to prison, Paul said. He even got to witness to people in Caesar's household because evidently the house in which he was kept was adjoining to Caesar's palace in Rome. And so what an opportunity, Paul said.

No. It wasn't the perfect situation. It wasn't the situation he would have chosen, yet it was the situation he found himself in. So what did Paul do? He made the best of a bad situation.

And he believed the words he wrote in Romans when he said, all things work together for, what? Good to them that love the Lord, to those who are the called according to his purpose. If we're following the Lord, then even the things that are difficult and sometimes they last for a moment and sometimes they last for a month and sometimes they last for a lot longer. God can use those to benefit us and others. And indeed, it may not seem like it sometimes, but it is it is worth it, and it will be worth it all when we see Jesus.

And then how about those Christian masters? Verse two. First Timothy six two. Philemon would have been one of these. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather do them service because they are faithful and beloved partakers of the benefit.

Those that have believing masters well, you know, now I'm a believer. My master's a believer. He should know better. He should let me go free. So I'm going to despise him because Christians should know better.

Were there Christians in the South that owned slaves? Yeah, there were. There were definitely believers in the South that owned slaves. In in my mind, should they have known better? Yeah.

I think so. But there Christians don't always do the right thing. And sometimes we allow our culture, society to cause us to make decisions that aren't exactly in line with what God would want us to do. We're not perfect. And as commonplace as slavery was in the South, there were quite a few believers that were masters that had slaves, hopefully, and they treated them like people and not like livestock.

However, the fact is in the South and in Paul's day, there were believers who did have slaves. And so Paul writes to thinking ahead, okay, how are they going to think, you know, now their master's a Christian. Paul says, you still treat them with what? You still treat them with respect. You do your best knowing that you, in the end, the two of you, are actually working what?

You're working together. You're working together. You're not working against each other. You're working you're working together for the same cause, for the same purpose. So rather than despising the master or rather than making judgments or just just work just work together.

In Ephesians and Colossians, Paul tells masters to treat their servants with honor and respect as they certainly should and certainly Christians should treat one another with respect no matter what the relationship between us and them. And so, again, Paul tells Timothy, you tell them to treat their believing masters with respect, realizing that you're working together for the benefit of you both. He says, these things teach and exhort. Timothy, don't fail to share this with those in your ministry. And again, it might not be the easiest thing to share, the easiest advice to give to those who were in a difficult situation regardless of how they got into the difficult situation.

But yet, it was an opportunity, an opportunity for those in servitude to show the love of Christ, to show mercy and compassion, and maybe their masters would indeed become believers themselves. So how does this apply to me? How does this apply to you? We don't have slaves. We're not slaves, but we are servants.

We are servants of who? We are servants of Jesus Christ. The word that's translated master in first Timothy six is kurios. That's the same word translated Lord. It's translated master often in the particularly in the New Testament when it's referring to an earthly master versus Lord when it's referring to a heavenly master.

We have been set free from the tyranny of sin and Satan, but we do have a master and we do have a lord. And he is worthy of our utmost respect and he is worthy of our obedience and he is worthy of our of our service and he is truly worthy to be our master because he is our creator. And he is he is God. And for every believer, he is our savior and he is worthy of our willing our willing servitude to him. And he has promised in Matthew six thirty three, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be what?

Shall be added unto you. Our master says, follow me, serve me, and I will see to it that your needs are provided for. That doesn't mean that you may not have to have a job and earn money, but he'll provide you with the job, and he'll provide you with the ability, and he'll provide you with other people. And by his grace and direction, you will not want. I have never found myself in want.

Certainly, there are things that in the flesh I would like to have had like that what is it? $19.64, cherry red hardtop convertible Stingray that nobody has given me yet. But that's not something I need, and that's not something would benefit me. But everything that I have need of, he has provided, and he won't let me down. For I have a good master.

I have a wonderful master, one who is worthy of all my praise, obedience, and service. There are other authorities that God has placed in our lives. You may not be under an earthly master, a household slave to an earthly master, but we do have other authorities. Parent children have parents and school teachers. We have governors, rulers, and police officers.

They are authorities given us by who? Ordained by who? By God for our what? For our good. And similarly, as a slave was to treat their master, we, as under the authority of others that God has ordained, need to honor them as well.

And then finally, the relationship between employer and employee is the closest to the relationship between master and servant in Paul's day. You will notice there are instructions for how Christians are to relate to government authorities. There are instructions, Romans 13 and other places, Peter. There are instructions about how children are to relate to parents and parents to children and spouse to spouse. But there are no instructions for employer and employee in the New Testament.

Why? Because I believe that's covered under what? First Timothy six one and two. You see, in Paul's day, the most common situation to find yourself in was either a master or a what? A servant.

And there were a few people that were just free and weren't servants and weren't masters. But a lot of people were either masters or they were servants. Today, in our economy, we don't have masters and servants. We have employers and what? Employees.

And many of you, for many years, dealt with those relationships. And some of you still have to deal. They're younger with that. Relate to that. So how do you deal with an employer as an employee?

What what do you owe them? Well, similarly to how a servant would what they would owe to their master. For the time that you are at work employed and being paid, you are basically their what? Their their slave. You're basically their servant.

You're there under contract to do whose bidding? To do their bidding. That is the situation. Praise God. They don't tell you when to get up and go to sleep and how often to brush your teeth and and some of those things.

But but when you're under their employment at on their time, they are the boss. And sometimes they're good bosses, and sometimes they're not so good bosses. Sometimes they're pretty smart and sometimes they're pretty dumb. Sometimes they make great decisions. Sometimes they make poor decisions.

Sometimes they treat you well and sometimes they don't treat you very well. And praise the Lord, in the day and age in which we live, if it gets bad enough, you can leave that job and go find another one, which couldn't always do in Paul's day. But nonetheless, while you're on their time, they're the master and you're the servant. And how should we treat them? Well, we should treat them with honor.

We should do our best to be obedient and to do our best in our job. One of the things that plagues our society today is that so many people that have a job don't see the need to do their what? To do their best. But that shouldn't be the shouldn't be the case for believers. We should do our best, not as unto men, but unto who?

But unto the Lord. If anybody should have a good work ethic, it should be a Christian. And if any employer has an employee that treats them with respect despite themselves, that employee should be a what? Should be a Christian who does their best despite difficult circumstances at times to show the love of Christ that the Lord's testimony be magnified and for the furtherance of the what? Gospel.

Is that not a worthy reason to treat those who we serve with respect? Thus, the instructions here are most definitely applicable to this relationship, particularly when one is on your employer's time. We should do our best. Sometimes people don't make that easy. That's true.

But we are still called to do our best as unto who? As unto the Lord. And there are certainly cases where bosses, employers came to know Jesus Christ as savior because of the testimony of someone that served them, that did their best, that treated them with respect despite the difficulties of being under their authority. May we see that in our work, and may God give us the opportunity to be salt and light in our homes, in our nation, and in our workplace. Let's pray.

Dear heavenly father, thank you, Lord, for the privilege of living in a day where we do not have slavery that we must contend with, at least not legally, here in The United States. Thank you for the jobs that you have provided, for the employers that you have provided, for the good health to work and to provide for our families and for the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, we pray for believers that are under difficult situations. We pray more so for believers that are in places where there is an oppressive government or an impressive masters, Lord, that you would be with them, that you would strengthen them, that you would protect them, and, Lord, that in time you would provide for better conditions for them. But, we pray despite the difficulty that they face and sometimes we face, we would be a light for Jesus Christ in a dark world.

And we would thank you that in Christ we are free and that we serve a better master regardless of the situations we may deal with here. You will reward us one day, And we thank you, Lord, for your mercy and grace. For without Christ, there would be no reward at all. We thank you for the opportunity to be a witness to others around us in Christ Jesus in the good times and the bad. Lord, we do pray for the salvation of our employers, those that are lost in need of savior, and that we may have an opportunity to show Christ to them.

And we thank you today for your instruction and for the example of others that have gone before us, who in many cases have been in more difficult straits than we, that we can thank you for your blessings, and we can follow their example. In Jesus' precious name, do pray. Amen.