1/2/18
– Eph 6:9, The Relationship Between Workers and
Bosses, Pt. 4, Management's Responsibilities.
Lesson #18-001
Pastor/Teacher, Jim Rickard
Grace Fellowship Church
Before we
begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, (If You have - Trusted
in Him for Eternal Life), it is important to prepare yourself to: Take-in God’s
Word and/or Participate in a Communion Service, so take a moment to name, cite,
or acknowledge your sins privately, directly to God the Father. This will
assure that you are in fellowship with God the Father & the Holy Spirit’s
convicting ministry will then be able to teach you as the Holy Spirit is the
real teacher.
1 John 1:9 says— “If we confess [simply
name, cite, or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known sins], He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
[all unknown & forgotten sins].”
For those of you who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord & Savior, please see: The Salvation Message @ the
end of this document.
2 Pet 3:9, “The Lord is
not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward
you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
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Eph 6:9; Col 4:1; Mat 25:21, 40; Prov
15:3; 22:2; 29:13; 1 Peter 1:15-17; Acts 10:34; Rom 2:11
Vs. 9
Eph 6:9, “And
masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both
their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.”
Like vs. 8, there
are four aspects to this verse as part of the responsibilities of management:
1. Bosses have the same basic responsibilities as their
workers.
2. Stop bullying your workers.
3. Faith-Rest in God while performing your duties.
4. Bosses too will be judged for rewards at the BEMA Seat.
1. It begins with the coordinating Conjunction KAI for, “and,” with the Vocative of Address of
HO KURIOS for, “the masters.” This
would be the boss on the job today. Then we have HO AUTOS in the Accusative,
Neuter, Plural for, “the same things,”
referencing the types of behaviors commanded of the workers on the job in vs. 5-8. Then we have the Present,
Active, Imperative of POIEO for, “do,
produce, work, perform, etc.,” and PROS AUTOS in the Accusative, Masculine,
Third Person, Plural for, “to them,”
meaning the workers on the job. Therefore, with the Imperative Mood of POIEO, the
bosses are given the command to render the same type of service that their
Christian workers are commanded to perform.
Here we are to
practice mutuality. Bosses or management should treat their workers as
they want to be treated; with integrity, respect, humility, and gentleness.
They are to treat them as if they were treating Christ, cf. Mat 25:40.
Mat 25:40, “The
King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you
did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them,
you did it to Me'.”
If bosses want respect and service, then they should give it
also.
This verse reminds bosses that they too have bosses they are accountable to and
are to do their job as a boss, supervisor, manager, etc., for their boss as
unto the Lord in all respects, just as the Christian worker is to do.
Therefore, they are to do their job of managing others obediently,
respectfully, sincerely, not by way of eyeservice or as men pleasers, with good
will, (a positive attitude), and with the knowledge (faith-rest) of eternal
rewards and blessings, as they do their jobs as to Christ, as slaves of Christ,
doing the will of God from the heart, as unto the Lord, with the confidence of
being rewarded for such service from the Lord at the BEMA seat of Jesus Christ.
2. With this in view for their first mandate, the Lord gives
them an additional mandate, “and give up
threatening,” which is ANIEMI HO APEILE.
There is no KAI for “and” in the Greek here, but it is added
to reflect the additional mandate given. “Give
up” is the Present, Active, Participle used like an Imperative of ANIEMI, ἀνίημι that can mean, “untie, desert, give up, stop, unloose, leave, neglect,
etc.” It is used here and in Acts 16:26;
27:40; Heb 13:5. While the other usages mean to loosen or untie or “never
desert,” here we have the idea of “relinquish, give up, suspend from, cease, or
desist.” In other words, stop doing what you have been doing. The thing to give
up is “threatening,” APEILE, ἀπειλή. It is also used in Acts 4:17, 29; 9:1. In its application
here, bosses are not to extract service from their employees by inducing fear
in them in any form or fashion. There are many ways a person can threaten
another, such as, bullying, intimidation, coercion, extortion, mistreatment,
harassment, oppression, or treating unfairly, and bosses are exhort to not
employ any of them towards their workers.
Therefore, bosses are
to avoid hostility. This type of exhortation to bosses back in Paul’s
day would have been extremely rare. But Christian bosses were to be different.
They were not to bully or use aggression to get their workers to perform.
Bosses must not indulge in abusive, tyrannical, or manipulative treatment.
3. Next, we see that bosses are also given an “OIDA” mandate, “knowing that both their Master and yours
is in heaven.” As in vs. 8 for
employees, “Knowing” is now given to
the bosses with the Greek Perfect, Active, Participle of OIDA which represents
an aspect of the faith-rest life. What the faith-rest bosses are exhorted to
apply is that they are accountable in the end to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is
noted in “that both” HOTI KAI, “their Master,” AUTOS HO KURIOS, “and yours,” KAI HUMEIS, “is in heaven” EIMI EN OURANOS. EIMI is
in the Present, Active, Indicative, for the current and ongoing reality of the
Ascension and Session of Jesus Christ being seated at the right hand of God the
Father, who will also be the judge at the BEMA Seat judgment.
Just as the workers were exhorted to know dogmatically in
faith-rest that they will be rewarded for their Divine Good production, so too
are bosses reminded that how they do their jobs as bosses will be rewarded at
the BEMA Seat of Jesus Christ, if they perform it according to God’s Word
applied from their souls through the power and filling of God the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, Christian bosses are to live with Christ-centered accountability. Management should live
with a fear / respect of Christ. Proverbs speaks of this equal accountability
of rich and poor:
Prov 22:2, “The rich
and the poor have this in common: the Lord is the maker of them all.”
Prov 29:13, “The
poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives light to the
eyes of both.”
Prov 15:3, “The
eyes of the LORD are in every place, watching the evil and the good.”
4. Finally, bosses are given the reality of Jesus Christ’s
judgment along with the principle of equal privilege and equal opportunity in
the phrase, “and there is no partiality
with Him,” which in the Greek reads, PROSOPOLEPSIA OUK EIMI PARA AUTOS.
This not only explains Jesus’ authority to judge, but also tells us that He is
the example bosses should emulate.
PROSOPOLEPSI, προσωποληψία
is a Noun that means, “partiality or favoritism,” it is also used in the
parallel passage of Col 3:25, and in
Rom 2:11; James 2:1. As we noted
above regarding Col 3:25, Jesus
Christ is a fair, equitable, honest, righteous, and just judge. He knows all,
even the heart of the man, and will judge perfectly. Bosses do not get a pass
on being evil to their workers because of their position. The ends do not
justify the means, nor do the means justify the ends. As in all aspects of the
spiritual life, we must do a right thing in a right way. When we do, we produce
Divine Good and will be rewarded by the Supreme boss and judge, our Lord Jesus
Christ.
1 Peter 1:15-17, “But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your
behavior; 16because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM
HOLY." 17And if you address as Father the One who impartially
judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time
of your stay upon earth.”
Deut 10:17, “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and
the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show
partiality nor take a bribe.”
Acts 10:34, “Opening
his mouth, Peter said: ‘I most certainly understand now that God is not
one to show partiality’.”
Rom 2:11, “For
there is no partiality with God.” Cf.
Gal 2:6.
Therefore, bosses are to remember God’s impartiality.
Partiality was written into the Roman law. But Paul says on the last day it
will not matter. The Lord Jesus is utterly impartial. Roman law was
discriminatory, but heavenly justice is not.
Then we see in the parallel verse of Col 4:1, “Masters, grant to your slaves justice and
fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.”
In this passage, “threatening” is replaced by treating your workers
with “justice and fairness,” DIKAIOS
and ISOTES. DIKAIOS, δίκαιος
means, “just, righteous, right, upright, or impartial,” and ISOTES, ἰσότης means, “equality, equity, or
fairness.” It is a stern warning that bosses are to treat their workers properly,
because they also have a Lord or Master. “Just” in this verse refers to
providing justice, and “fairness or equal” relates to the necessity of being
equitable in all transactions with workers. Therefore, in both verses, Masters
are warned to treat their workers fairly, realizing their own ultimate
responsibility and accountability to their own Master in heaven, the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Principles:
1. God is fair, He does not show
partiality, He is not impressed with the personality of an individual or his
ability to enter into flattery. He treats us on the basis of His character.
Therefore, His integrity is beyond reproach, He plays no favorites, and He is
fair to all. Therefore, it should be the same with Christian management. The
spiritually mature believer in management or authority should emulate his Lord.
2. The Christian faith brings
harmony by working from the heart. Christ gives us a new motivation, not a new
organization. Both servant and master are serving the Lord and seeking to
please Him, and in this way they are able to work together to the glory of God.
3. Bosses then should lead through Christ, like Christ, and for
Christ.
b. Lead like Christ. Christ
is not just the model Servant; He is the ultimate Master also. What kind of
leadership did Jesus execute? Servant leadership. He displayed the attitudes
those in leadership should follow. He came to serve. He took up the towel. He
cared for the vulnerable. He did not seek earthly praise. He was a shepherd,
not a dictator.
Jesus said the way to be a ruler is first to be a servant in Mat 25:21, “His master said to him, ‘Well
done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put
you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master’.”
Many of the great men of the Bible were first servants before God
made them rulers: Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, and Nehemiah are just a few
examples. Even after a man becomes a leader, he must still lead by serving. As
our Lord said in Mat 20:27-28, “And
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28just as
the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a
ransom for many.”
c. Lead for Christ. Paul
says masters will give an account. As a leader, you may have more opportunities
to bend the truth and make unethical decisions, because you have less
accountability and more control over your time. Remember, your audience is Christ.
He is an impartial master. What this means is that you should seek to honor Him
with holy leadership.
4. This passage should change the way we relate to people. Our
culture subtly tells us that there is a hierarchy of value among individuals,
and it tells us where we fit in this value system. This text crushes that idea.
Although there are different roles and levels of authority, in no way do these
roles define one’s value. This hierarchy does not exist for the Christian. We
have the same Lord, and we await the same judgment, Rom 2:6-11. Further, James tells us that showing partiality is
inconsistent with the gospel of Jesus, James 2:1.
5. We should relate to people differently from the way our culture
relates to people. Do not give preferential treatment to a certain class or
ethnic group. Care for the rich and the powerful, as well as the poor and the
powerless. Be careful about your body language, your attention on others, and
the way you communicate to others. Do not give the impression that you are
superior or that someone is not worth your time. Do not dehumanize individuals
by thinking less of them. Do not idolize any human by thinking too highly of
him or her.
6. These passages should change the way you evaluate what is
important. What matters according to this text is your relationship with
Christ. The most important thing in this life is not whether you work in a saw
mill or an office building in a nice part of the city. What matters is how you
respond to Jesus Christ. Is He your Master?
Jesus said it like this: Mark 8:36, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his
soul?”
7. If you know Christ, then you are rich. Because of this, you can
say with Paul 2 Cor 6:10, “As having
nothing yet possessing all things.” The person who has Jesus and nothing
has no less than the person who has Jesus and everything else. If you belong to
Jesus Christ, then you have everything. Then what you do in this life matters.
It matters in this life, and it will be revealed in the next life. What matters
most to you? The economy? The president? Your team? Your grades? We should all
long to say it like Paul: Phil 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
8. If you do not have Christ, then you need to receive the One
who, though being the ultimate Master, became the ultimate Servant, dying for
sinners like us. Jesus came to do for us what we could not do for ourselves: to
free us from slavery to sin and bring us into loving relationship with the
Father. He came to give us what we could not earn; spiritual life. He came to
make us what we could not become: no longer slaves, but sons. He is the
obedient Servant, the best Master, and the sovereign Lord. Look to Him and
live.
In conclusion, only a Spirit-controlled believer, Eph 5:18, is able to fulfill the
obligations given in this section, Eph
5:15-6:9. Many of these verses emphasize selflessness, which results in
harmony, one evidence of the Spirit’s work.
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A
PERSONAL NOTE FOR YOU
John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.”
Notice again
what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have;” it says,
“has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of
everlasting life, you have it, and it can never be lost or taken away from you [John 10:28-29]. Furthermore, the gift
of everlasting life [also called eternal life in Scripture] is available to
every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.
John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but
he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in
the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Eph 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any
man should boast.”
If
you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I am here to tell
you that Jesus loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His life for you.
God the Father also loves you. He loves you so much that He gave His only Son
for you by sending Him to the Cross. At the Cross Jesus died in your place.
Taking upon Himself all of your sins and all of my sins. He was judged for our
sins and paid the price for our sins. Therefore, our sins will never be held
against us.
Right
where you are, you now have the opportunity to make the greatest decision in
your life. To accept the free gift of salvation and eternal life by truly
believing that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was raised on the third day
as the proof of the promise of eternal life. So right now, you can pause and
reflect on what Christ has done for you and say to the Father:
"Yes
Father, I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ,
died on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins."
If you have done that, I Welcome You to the Eternal
Family of God !!!
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Grace Fellowship Church
Pastor/Teacher: James H. Rickard
23 Messenger Street, Unit 3
Plainville, MA 02762
Copyright © 2001 - 2017.
Property of: James H Rickard Bible Ministries
All Rights Reserved.
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