Shabbat Shalom! Today we are going to begin with Ephesians chapter 6. We are going to cover, at least by the grace of God, the first nine verses of this chapter. And I would like you please to turn to Ephesians chapter 6. And I am going to read those first nine verses which are very much in connection with the previous chapter that we read, Ephesians chapter 5 and verses 22 to the end of the chapter. We dealt with Ephesians chapter 5. We dealt with Ephesians chapter 5 and we finished with it. And today I would like us to read Ephesians chapter 6 and verses 1 to 9. So please follow with me. The Apostle Paul Shaul continues.

And if there was no breakdown of chapters and verses and numbers, he would just continue to flow from what he just finished in verse 33 of chapter 5. And he says now, verse 1. Let's read Ephesians chapter 6. Ephesians chapter 6. Do the same things unto them, forbearing, threatening, knowing that your master also is in heaven, neither is there respect of persons with him. And I'm stopping here in verse 9 of this chapter. As I just mentioned earlier, that Ephesians chapter 6 verses 1 to 9 is really very much linked with the previous verses that we read in chapter 5. If you remember in chapter 5, if you remember in chapter 5 in our previous ministry meeting, we talked about the importance of the relationship between the husbands and the wives.

The wife is to be subject to a husband. The husband is to love his wife. Because the moment we take our places in the will of the Lord is blessing. The moment we do not follow these instructions, we end up to have chaos and oftentimes a great loss in our relationship. And here I would like to continue to say, beloved brothers and sisters, that we understand now that the Apostle Paul, Shaul, speaking to believers. He is writing to the local assembly at Ephesus. And he is writing to believers. Those that are already born from above. They are born again. They have the Holy Spirit of God indwelling them.

And now they are being challenged, as we read in verse 18 of chapter 5, to be under the control of Ruach Elohim, under the control of the Holy Spirit of God. When they are under the control of the Holy Spirit of God, things are moving about in the right way. Why? Because there is joy in our hearts. There is a thankfulness in the heart. And there is submissiveness one to another. And now he is building up and he is moving into these areas of our homes. You know, we all have our homes and we all have our challenges in our own homes. To remind you again, he doesn't speak now to an unbelieving group of people.

He is speaking to believers, to you and I. He is speaking to the Ephesians, brothers and sisters, in the local assembly in the city of Ephesus. And apparently they had needs, just like you and I have needs today. Well, the verse out of which he began to speak about the husbands and wives, verses 22 to verse 33 of chapter 5, flew out of verse 22 of verse 21 of chapter 5. Submitting yourself one to another in the fear of God. Well, if the husbands and wives are to submit to each other in the fear of God and to take their places in the relationship, the home, now he is moving about and he is going to speak about another four groups of individuals.

Notice in verse 1 to 3 he is speaking to children. In verse 4, he is speaking to fathers. In verses 5 to 8, he is speaking to servants. And in verse 9, he is speaking to masters. So what we really learned, the four words, you might say, the four things that he is communicating. To children, he says, obey. To fathers, he says, do not provoke. To servants, he says, be submissive and obedient. And to masters, he says, do not threaten your servants. And every one of us are fitting into one or two or more of these groups to whom the Apostle Paul is writing. Not all of us are husbands or wives.

Not all of us are parents or fathers. But for sure, all of us are children or have been children at one point of time in our life. As young children, of course, if we are older, but we are still children of our parents. And I want you to notice what the Apostle Paul does here. It's so interesting when he is speaking to the children. We have some children here. And we are very thankful for you, children, that you are willing to be here sitting with us at a meeting to learn the Word of God. And as we heard the reading of the text from the Bible.

It's so precious. You know, in the synagogues, many years ago, when the young boys would come up to the front to read the text from the Bible. From the Hebrew Scripture, from the Tanakh. What a blessing it had been for the audible reading of the text of the Bible. It was precious to the people at the synagogue in our Jewish community. And for us as a Messianic Jewish and non-Jewish people, it's precious for us to hear the text of the Word of God being read publicly. So listen to this, what he is saying now. We begin in verses 1, 2, and 3. The Apostle Paul is writing now to the children.

And here, children, young people, please listen to this. This will do you good if you will only listen to the Word of God, to what we read here in the Scripture. And I'm rereading these verses 1, 2, and 3. I want you to notice what he is saying here to the children. There are four things that Paul is saying to the children in verses 1, 2, and 3. Why should the yeladim, the children, obey their parents, the horim? Why should they obey their parents? Paul gives them four reasons here in verses 1, 2, and 3. The first reason is found in verse 1a. He says, children, obey your parents in their Lord. You know this expression?

In the Lord. The first reason that the children are to obey their parents is simply because they belong to the Lord, to Yeshua, the Messiah. You remember what John said in John 1, 12. As many as receive him, Yeshua, to them he gave the right to be called the children of God. The reason that we as children, you as children, whether you are boys or girls, and you are under the authority of your parents in a home. The reason that you are to obey your parents is because you belong to Yeshua, you belong to God, you belong to the Messiah. And if you belong to the Messiah and you have a new life, and you are a regenerated person, you are born from above, you belong to the Lord, you belong to God.

And it is the thing to do because you belong to Yeshua, the Messiah. So, children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord. Notice, he used this expression, in the Lord, in Mashiach, in Christ, in the Messiah. This expression in the scripture when it says, in Messiah, those that are in Christ Jesus in the Messiah are new creation. All things have passed away, all become new. If you belong to Yeshua, the Messiah, things are different. You belong to the one that loved you and gave himself for you, and therefore, you are to obey your parents simply because you are a child of God. Paul said to the Colossians in chapter 3 and verse 20, children, obey your parents in all things.

Parents are not always right. Parents are not always perfect. Parents make mistakes. We know it as parents. But still, because you are a child of God and you belong to Yeshua, the Messiah, children simply obey your parents because you are a child of God. You receive Yeshua and you belong to Him. Verse 1a. Notice what it says in verse 1b. You give the second reason. Why should children obey your parents? It is simply because it is the right thing to do. Again, I'm reading, children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. It's right. You see, you didn't give your parents life. Your parents gave you life.

Your parents brought you into this world. Your parents are providing for you and caring for you. So the first thing is because you belong to God, but also because God has given you to your parents. And therefore, it is the right thing to do to obey the parents because you have been brought into this world by your very own parents. Again, I remind you in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 20, where we have already read, Children, obey your parents in all things, for it is well-pleasing unto the Lord. God finds joy in it, really well-pleasing to Him, obedience unto the parents. Now, the third thing that he's saying to the children in verses 1, 2, and 3, this is the first part of verse 2.

Notice what the Apostle Paul said. Honor your father and your mother. Here's the third thing that we find out for the reason why one should obey his mom and dad, his imma and abba, as we say it in Hebrew. It is simply because it was a commandment of the Lord. You know, many years ago when our people Israel came out of the land of Egypt, and they stood before Har Sinai, Mount Sinai, God gave to our people commandments, and the fifth commandment that God gave to the people of Israel was simply, Honor thy father and thy mother. That was a commandment of God. It was not something that one should debate about it.

God did not give an option to the children of Israel. God simply said to them, Honor thy father and thy mother. In Hebrew we say, Kabet et avicha ve et imecha. Honor thy father and thy mother. And we are talking now to the children. In Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 1, 2, and 3, we have the instruction of the Apostle Paul to the brothers and sisters in the local assembly at Ephesus, and he's speaking now to the children. By the way, you notice that the Apostle Paul does not first speak to the fathers and the mothers first. He's speaking directly to the born-again children who know very well that they have accepted Yeshua, the Messiah.

And he says that you are to obey your mother and father, verse 2a, simply because God commanded it. God simply commanded it. If you read in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 12, in Deuteronomy chapter 5 and verse 16, you will notice that God simply commanded our people of all, the people of Israel, by telling them that the children ought to obey their mothers and their fathers. And I'm just reading in Exodus chapter 20 and verse 12. This is the fifth commandment. And God said to the people of Israel, Honor thy father and thy mother. This is not a matter of discussion. It's simply a matter of acceptance of the Word of God.

And when we don't, and unfortunately at times, we fail to obey and to submit to the Word of God, we simply dishonor the Lord. And it's not pleasing to the Lord at all. Therefore, these commandments pass through. You notice that it was given under the law to our people Israel. Here we find out that it is applied to New Testament, present day dispensation of the church age, and thereby the children are to submit and obey their parents. Now here is the fourth reason. In verse 2b and verse 3, which is very nice to see. And I'm speaking again to you that are children here. Notice the fourth reason why the children are to obey their parents.

Verse 2b and verse 3. It says, Honor thy father and thy mother, which is their first commandment with a promise, that it may be well with thee, and that you may live long on the earth. Here is a beautiful promise to the children. It has been given to Israel many, many years ago, 3,500 years ago, when our nation Israel was going to enter into the promised land, to Kna'an, God said to our people of all, He says, Israel, listen, the children are to obey their parents in order that they may live long life in the land. The Hebrew word in verse 12 of Exodus chapter 20 is, Leman ya'arichun yamecha al ha'adama, upon the land.

God gave Israel the promised land. And so it was a national promise. Israel, when the children obey their parents, the children and their parents and their family will remain in the land. When they disobey their parents, God will remove our people of old Israel out of the land and will scatter them upon the face of this earth. Now Paul, Shaul, takes this and now applies it to children of the brothers and sisters in the local assembly at Ephesus and every believer upon the face of this world. And he's saying to them, Children, obey your parents. Why? You are to honor your father and your mother.

Why? Because it is the first commandment with a promise. What is the promise? Notice verse 3. That it may be well with you. That's the first promise. And secondly, that you may live long. And this time it doesn't say the land, meaning the land of Israel, but that you may live long on this earth. You may be a child, a believer in Toronto, or a child, a believer in Yerushalayim, or a child, a believer in any place in the world, in any country, there is a first commandment. Attached with it is a promise of blessing. Two-fold blessing. The first one is that it will be well with you.

You know, you notice that when children obey their parents, really, there is a wellness in their lives. That those who do not obey, they lose out. Often they think, you know, if I will get my own way, and I will do my own thing, I will be fine, and I will be okay, and I will not going to listen to what my parents are telling me. And I will get my own way, I will be fine. Well, you will notice that those that obey their parents, it is really well with them ultimately. It's better for them in their lives. They can make better decisions in their life.

They can walk in a better path in their lives. It is always better to obey than to disobey. And God made that promise, two-fold promise. Number one, that it will be well with you. And number two, that you will live long life upon the face of this earth. So Paul took what applied to Israel under the law, Exodus 20, verse 12, and he applied it to believers in the present-day dispensation, whether they are Jewish or non-Jewish, it's applied to all of us in the present-day dispensation of the church age. By the way, the word in Greek, G-E-G, for the word earth, in the Hebrew word, in Exodus 20, verse 12, the word is Adama, and it's applied to the literal promised land that God had given to the people of Israel.

Now, let's see for a moment. Just allow me just to elaborate a couple more minutes on that. I want you to turn to Romans chapter 1. Look what the Apostle Paul's description of the condition of the world in which we live in, Romans chapter 1. Paul says in verse 28, 29, and 30 of Romans chapter 1, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient or are not right, being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, and listen at the last point in verse 30, disobedient to parents.

When men rejected the Messiah, God gave them over. Over to what? Over to the list of what we have before us in Romans 1 verses 28, 29, and specifically in connection with our text in verse 30, disobedience to parents. That's the world. That's the world in which we live in. That's what Paul describing for us in Romans chapter 1 in verses 28, 29, and 30. Now turn to one more verse in 2 Timothy chapter 3. The Apostle Paul moved from the world to the professing Christendom, to the professing church. In the last days in which we live in today, Paul is now writing to the professing believers. He's writing to Timothy and he's telling Timothy that's what is going to prevail among the professing assembly, the professing church in the last days.

And look what he's saying. Verse 1. This know ye also that in the last days perilous times shall come for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemous. Listen to this. Disobedient to parents, unthankful and unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, furious, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure, more than lovers of God. And listen to the end in verse 5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. From such, turn away. While in Romans chapter 1 he described the unbelieving world, in 2 Timothy chapter 3, he described the condition that will prevail among the professing believers in Yeshua, the Messiah.

And Paul's saying, Timothy, that's what is going to happen in the last days. Children are also among the professing believers will take the position of disobedience. And that's why he gives the warning, obey your parents. Why? Because you belong to the Lord, number one. Number two, why? Because it is the right thing to do. Number three, because God commended it. And number four, because God promised blessing to those believing children. if you are going to obey your parents, you are going to gain. You are not going to lose. Now let me read one more verse in connection with it and we are going to move, turn to the Gospel of Luke and chapter 2.

Let me read there two verses. Luke chapter 2 and verse 51 and 52. And I think this is the greatest example. And the greatest example is the person of our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. You know, the creator, the sustainer, the upholder. He is the one who is in charge of all the universe. All things were made by him and without him nothing was made which was made. He took humanity, union with his divine nature. He became a baby boy who was born in the city of Bethlehem in the land of our nation Israel. He grew up and by the time he was 12 years old he went up with his mother and father Miriam and yourself to the temple in the city of Jerusalem, Jerusalem.

And there, listen, having all sort of discussion in the temple, look what we read about him at the end of Luke chapter 2. The last two verses he says in verse 51, and he went down with them, this is his parents, Miriam and Yosef, and he came to Nazareth and he was, listen children, listen young people, listen you and I, all of us, he said, he was subject unto them. But his mother kept all these sayings in her heart and Yeshua increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and with men. Children, obey your parents. Why? Because it is the right thing to do and you belong to God and this is the right thing to do, but look at the blessing that flow out of it and look at the example that we have in Yeshua, our Mashiach, our Messiah.

He became subject out to his parents. He is the son of God as men, subjected himself as a boy to his mother and father and look at the result. Verse 52, Yeshua increased. Number one, increased in wisdom. Number two, increased in stature. Number three, he is increased with favor with God. Number four, he is increased with favor with men. Mental growth, physical growth, spiritual growth and social growth we have in verse 52. That's the result of submissiveness to God and submissiveness to the parents. Children, obey your parents. The Apostle Paul gave us the instruction in Ephesians chapter 6 and verses 1 to 3. Let's go back now. In verse 4, now that he dealt with the children, now he is talking to us as fathers.

And notice what he says to the fathers. He is speaking directly to the fathers and now he is saying to believing fathers and that applies to you and I who are parents. Some of us have already grown children. They are no longer under our authority in our own home but when we were parents and dealing with our children in our own home, that's the instruction that Paul is giving to the fathers. And look at this, what he is saying in verse 4, Paul appeals to the believing fathers not to provoke their children. And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Those of us who are fathers know very well how often time we fail in the responsibilities that God had given unto us as Abba, as Avot, as fathers. And here again I would like to suggest certain things that the fathers are exhorted to do as they raise their children and this is what the scripture teaches us. This is what the Apostle Paul is telling them. The first thing he is saying to them in verse 4a, the first part of verse 4, that the fathers are not to provoke their children but to encourage them. You see, the opposite of provocation is encouragement. You know how often time we abuse our responsibility.

How often time we exasperate our children by the way in which we conduct and the demands in which we are putting upon our children. And so he is saying to them, listen, don't arouse your children to anger. Don't exasperate fathers, your children. Don't do so because when you exasperate the children, you end up ultimately not benefiting, not giving them any benefit. So the opposite of provoking is really encouraging. How we need to encourage the children. How any parent need to really encourage the children. In Colossians 3 and verse 21, he said, Father, provoke not your children to anger. Provocation can bring someone to get to get very angry.

That's what he says. Instead of provoking them to anger, it's really encouraging them and then the blessing will flow unto the children. Secondly, notice that I'm in the same verse, verse 4b, fathers are to bring children up and to nourish them. You know that word? You notice that? He used that word and I'm reading again in verse 4. Fathers, provoke not your children to rest but bring them up. That word for bringing them up comes from the word to nourish. Anyone who knows who have a garden in their own home know very well if you want to bring up nice flowers, you need to spend the time of watering them and nourishing them, taking care of them.

And it's good and it is important in every area. The fathers are to bring up their children or nourish them in a right way. If you just look at chapter 5 for a moment, in verse 29, speaking to the husbands, he says, no man ever yet hated his own flesh but he nourishes. The same word, nourishes and cherishes it. In other words, we nourish ourselves, we cherish ourselves and therefore the fathers, Paul is saying, are to bring up, are to nourish the children. A time we fail in that and that's why Paul would remind us of it. We need this reminder all the time as we read the word of God.

So nourishing speaks of bringing them up, of stimulating them and encouraging them instead of discouraging them. Thirdly, and I'm still in verse 4, the Apostle Paul is now speaking to believing fathers and he says fathers are not only to nourish, to bring up the children but also to nurture them or to chasten, to discipline the children. And here's the verse again in connection with our chapter and I'm reading verse 4, fathers, provoke not your children to rest but bring them up in the nurture and admonition and that word for nurture is chastening, has to do with discipline. The same word is mentioned in Hebrews chapter 12 about chastening, discipline.

Turn with me please to Hebrews chapter 12 for a moment. In verse 5, the writer of Hebrews quoting what Solomon wrote to Israel many years prior to it and he says in verse 5, and ye have forgotten the exaltation which speaketh unto you as unto children saying, my son despise no doubt the chastening of the Lord. Here is the same word, chastening, that comes the same word for nurturing, chastening, the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuke of him from whom the Lord lovest he chasteneth and he scourges every son whom he received. Another one when we receive discipline from God we receive discipline because he loves us.

He is our Abba, he is our father. When God disciplined his nation Israel, he disciplined Israel because he loved them, he cared for them. While the fathers are to discipline their children not out of anger, sometimes we have failed in it, but out of love and care because chastening suggests that one care as a father for his son or for his daughter. And therefore nurturing the children simply has to do with chastening. It is a chastening out of love for the children. Hebrews 12 and now continue on further down verse 7 and 8. If ye endure chastening, not as the same word, God deal with you as with sons.

For what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? Verse 8. But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons. You are illegitimate sons or children if you don't receive chastening. So sometimes when we receive chastening from our parents, it is because we needed correction. And our parents, our fathers loved us and therefore they have chastened us out of love towards their children. But here Paul gives to the father a challenge in saying, listen fathers, do not provoke, don't provoke your children to anger, but encourage them, build them up, nourish them, and nurture them so there will be a blessing flowing for their children.

By the way, the word for nurture in Hebrew is the word musar. It's found in Proverbs chapter 3 verses 11 and 12. And it is there that God said to the people of Israel through King Solomon, my son despise not the chastening of the Lord. In Hebrew it sounds musar adonai bni altim as. Don't set this aside. Recognize that it is the Lord who loves you, who chastens you, who disciplines you because he loves you and he cares for you. my son despise not the chastening of the Lord. The Lord sometimes has to deal with us as well when we are wrong as a father. He deals with us in chastisement, in musar, in order that we will walk in a way that is pleasing to him.

So, number four now in verse four, the fourth thing that he is saying to the fathers and the fourth thing is that the fathers are to instruct their children as well. Not only to nurture them, to chasten them, but also to instruct them. And here is verse four, fathers provoke not your children to rest but bring them up in the nurture and notice the last thing, the admonition of the Lord. And this is also so beautiful, what a blessing it is when the children are being admonished and instructed by the Lord. one of these people that were very much instructed by the Lord and by his parents, specifically the parents of this young man, he was younger than Paul, who was instructed by his own family, and that was Timothy himself.

And you notice what Paul reminds us of Timothy, if you just read with me 2 Timothy 3 verse 14, Timothy, but continue thou in the things which thou has learned and has been assured of knowing of whom thou had learned them. In other words, Timothy, you continue to follow the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and now accepting Yeshua, the Messiah, continue because you have learned this, and remember who you have learned this from when you were a child. And then he tells them in verse 15, and that from a child you have known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in the Messiah Yeshua, in Christ Jesus.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the men of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Timothy, don't neglect, remember all what you have learned, that now that you have grown up, he is encouraging him to continue on to serve Yeshua, the Messiah, and he reminded him, you remember who have instructed you, Timothy, you knew the holy scripture already from a child, and apparently Timothy's grandmother and Timothy's mother, his grandparents have already instructed him concerning the things of God, the things of the Messiah, and when Yeshua the Messiah came, and the gospel had been preached unto Timothy, Timothy had embraced Yeshua, because he was prepared already by the scripture, his heart was plowed, you might say, by the spirit of God, that when the gospel was preached unto him, the spirit of

God convicted Timothy, and he accepted the Messiah, and now Paul is saying to him, Timothy, you continue, don't be discouraged, you continue to serve, and remember where you have learned all these things, the scripture taught Timothy when he was already a young boy in their home, by the way, Timothy did not have a Jewish father, but he had a Jewish mother, and you can see that even when a time that the father is not a believer, the mother was there, and the grandmother was there, and you remember Paul took Timothy and he circumcised him because he was Jewish, for the testimony to our nation, the Jewish community, but Timothy was influenced by the scripture already

when he was young, amazing to see this, how this person was instructed, and so Paul is saying to the not to provoke their children to anger, to wrath, but to instruct them, and to encourage them to continue to follow the scripture.

Now one more thing I want to mention in the Psalms, if you turn to Psalm 78, we have an encouragement that was given to Israel, and this is helpful for us as well. It is a psalm that was written by a man by the name of Asaph, and look what Asaph is saying in Psalm 78, Psalm 78, give ear, all my people, to my law, incline your ears to the words of my mouth, I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known and our fathers have told us. our fathers told us, we will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord and his strength and his wonderful works that he has done, for he established a testimony in Jacob, and he appointed a law in Israel, which he commended our fathers that they should make them known to their children.

that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born, who should arise and declare them to their children. Now you notice there are four generations here. Verse 3, we have heard it. Verse 3b, our fathers have told us, already two generations. Verse 6, that the generation to come, this is the third generation, they will tell them to their children, the fourth generation, from generation to generation to generation to generation. Verse 7 and 8, say that they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments and might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.

You see, among our people, there were those who were right with God and there were those who didn't follow God. Same thing with us as believers today, there are those of us who follow in the instruction of the Lord, but there are those of us who don't, and that's why Paul is emphasizing so much, children obey your parents, fathers provoke not your children to wrath. Here is the third group that he is speaking on, back in Ephesians chapter 6, and this time, verses 5, 6, 7, and 8, he is speaking to the servants, to the believing slaves. So Paul appeals to the believing slaves to be obedient to their masters.

You and I might not apply it to ourselves as we are all servants, we all have somebody under whom we work for, our bosses, our superiors, and we are all one way or another are servants. We are not slaves like in the Roman Empire. There were millions and millions of slaves in the time of the Roman Empire. They say that there have been about 6 million slaves under the Romans at that time. There were many, many, many slaves. Some of them accepted Yeshua, the Messiah. And now because they have accepted Yeshua, the Messiah, they become children of God, born again, Messiah followers. So what happened now when they became believers, they are now to set an example, even though their status didn't change, they remained slaves in the Roman Empire, but they became believers in Yeshua, the Messiah, born again.

And so in verse 5 to 8, Paul appeals now to the believing slave, to the believing servants, and look what he's saying to them in those verses. First of all, verse 5, servants are to obey their masters as unto the Messiah. They are to respect their masters as they are honoring Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah. 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. Notice this expression, as unto the Messiah. In other words, those servants are to obey their masters recognizing that when they obey their masters, they are really obeying the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

And you know, we also have bosses or people who are our superiors. And when we submit to them and obey them, we are really submitting to Yeshua, the Messiah. And you know, we don't always have bosses or superiors who are very kind and very nice. Sometimes we have those that are very harsh and very unkind. Nevertheless, notice this verse, in verse 5, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh. He doesn't say to them only obey them if they are good and they treat you always right. No, we are to obey them because they are our bosses, our masters. In this case, there were slaves who had masters.

By the way, they didn't have much choice, but they were still to do so anyways. Look at the verse in Colossians. Again, Colossians chapter 3, verse 22. Servants, be obedient in all things to your masters according to the flesh. In all things. in all things we are to submit to them. There is another verse that I need to mention here in 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 18. That is also a beautiful verse. Servant, be subject to your masters with all reverence, with all fear, and not only to the good and the gentle, but also to the froward or to the wicked one, to the unfair one. Now what do you do when your boss doesn't treat you well?

What do we do in a case like this? Well, it's very easy to say, well, he doesn't treat me well, he doesn't treat me right, I'm not going to do the right thing, I'm not going to obey him, I'm not going to submit to him, because he doesn't treat me right. Well, you and I might do so, but it is not submitting to our masters as unto Christ, as unto the Messiah, as unto the Messiah. And therefore, 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 18 add the words, not only to the good and to the gentle, but also to the one that is froward, it's wicked or unfair. You know, don't you feel sometimes, brothers and sisters, that sometimes we have those bosses who are really unfair.

They haven't been fair with us. They haven't dealt right with us. We have done so much and we have sought to be faithful and so on, and they haven't treated us fair. Well, nevertheless, the Bible teaches us very clearly that we as servants are to seek to the best of our ability to do the right thing and to be obedient to them that are our bosses, our masters. And when we do so, we are literally obeying our blessed Lord Yeshua the Messiah. He is pleased with obedience to our bosses, even though they are not kind and not nice. And there is no need to go all around and tell everybody else how bad our bosses are or our masters are.

That doesn't justify us. We should commit it to the Lord. And He knows. He knows every situation that we are in. We can share it with some for prayer. We can pray for them. But it is the right thing to submit to our bosses and to our masters. As both Colossians tells us in chapter 3 verse 22 and Peter wrote to these early Hebrew believers and he says, not only to the good and kind one and the gentle, even to the ones that are harsh and not always kind. Sometimes you know how you feel when our boss doesn't treat us right. we feel like we would like to retaliate.

Nevertheless, when we submit to the Messiah or doing the work that He had given us to do, we are honoring the Lord by doing so. Verse 6 of Ephesians chapter 6 continuing, he says, servants are not to serve with eye service. I don't know if you feel like something like that. When the boss comes and he sees you doing something, all of a sudden you are busy, busy, busy, right? And the moment he goes, you know, we are not the same in the way that we are usually when the boss is around. That's the way that we are by nature. But Paul is saying verse 6, not with eye service, as men pleasers, but as the servants of the Messiah doing the will of God from the heart.

When we serve God, when we serve Yeshua the Messiah, on the job, wherever we are, what a great testimony it is when we just simply do our job, do our work that the Lord had given us to do. And, you know, really, if you would have somebody who works for you and only does the work when you are there and doesn't do the work when you are not there, how would you feel, right? We all understand it very well. So when the boss gives us an instruction to do something, we do it as unto the Lord and we finish with the responsibility that we have, not as man-pleasers, eye-pleasers, simply as unto the Lord.

Doing it from the heart. Doing it in the will, because this is the will of God. God desired to see this in the life of the believers. Thirdly, in verse 7, notice, with regard to the servants, to those slaves, by the way, the word for servant here is doulos, d-o-u-l-o-s in Greek, and it really speaks of slaves. The same word is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12, 13, Galatians 3, 28, and Colossians 3, 11, is the same word. We all part of the body of Christ, the body of Messiah, slaves and free, bond of free, we all part, we all belong to the same God, and this word doulos has to do with really those that are servants and slaves.

Verse 7, servants are to do their service as with the will of God, and I'm repeating verse 7 now, with good will, in a good will, doing service as to the Lord and not to men. Here's this expression, the good will. The good will is God's will. To do it in a good way, this is the good will and the pleasure of God that he wants to see those who are servants, doing the responsibility in a good way. From the heart, verse 6, with a good will, verse 7, because it is pleasing to the Lord. And finally, in connection with the servants, in verse 8, servants will be rewarded by the Lord for their faithfulness.

you know, because after all, God sees everything, right? And so we read in verse 8, knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bound or whether he be free. Notice the word bond is mentioned here again, D-O-U-L-O-S in Greece, doulos, speaks of a slave. And what we really see that when we do the right thing, God will reward a faithful service unto him. He will ultimately reward the person who does that which is good, that which is from the heart. You know, God is planning to reward. You know, every time when we are going to do the right thing, we might not get the reward now, even not from our boss, from our master, but the reward comes from the Lord.

He is the one that sees everything, and he is the one who is going to reward everyone that have served faithfully. It says in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 24, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrongs which he has done, and there is no respect of person. In other words, God is saying like this, you be faithful in what the Lord give you to do on the job, wherever you are, if you work for someone, just be faithful to your master, to your boss, do the right thing, and the Lord will ultimately reward those that do the right thing.

He will reward. You are going to receive a reward. The reward might not come today, but a faithful steward will ultimately receive a reward in the Messianic kingdom. There is a day coming in which God is going to bring us back with him, Yeshua. We are going to come with Yeshua, and we are going to reign and rule with Yeshua, the Messiah, for a thousand years. Israel will be restored, our nation as a nation. Messiah will rule as king. We, the church, the ecclesia, will rule with him, and he will reward us for faithfulness here on earth. He will reward us in the Messianic kingdom.

It is required from a servant that he may be found faithful. Oftentimes, we are not as faithful as we should be, and that's why it is our own loss in the long run. So, brothers and sisters, let's finalize this message with the appeal of Paul, now not to anymore to the children, or to the fathers, or to the servants, but now he's talking to the masters, to the boss, to the one who is in charge. And look what he's saying to him. One verse, three things he's saying to the masters. Ye masters, verse 9, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening, knowing that your master also is in heaven, neither is there respect of persons with him.

He's really finalized here the thought of all this submissiveness that he talked about in chapter 5, verse 21. He's finalizing this by speaking directly to the masters, and he's saying to the masters, masters, your boss, one who has charge over someone else. He's saying, masters, you are to do the same good to your servants as they were exhorted to do good to you. In other words, if they were called to be faithful in their service for you, you also be faithful to your servants in doing them good. The masters are to do the same unto the servants. You notice it says in verse 9, and he must do the same things unto them.

That word, the same things, take it back to verse 5 to 8. If they were to submit, if they were to do the right thing, to do their job in the right way, you must treat them in the right way. Don't treat them in the wrong way. do the same thing to their servants as God expects from the servants to do to their masters. Secondly, in verse 9, we find that the masters are not to threaten their servants. You know how often time when the boss threatens you, well, if you're going to do this, you'll be fired. If you're not going to do this, if you're not going to work overtime, I'm going to lay you off.

I mean, today in this country in which we live in, we have placed upon any boss, any manager, or any person who is in charge and responsibility, but can you imagine how those slaves 2,000 years ago felt when their masters treating them one way or another, they threatened them. I can just imagine what they have threatened them with. You slaves, if you're not going to do this, I'll block you in some kind of a place and you won't be able to receive food, who knows what. can you imagine how to be threatened? It's an awful thing to be threatened by your own boss. Christians or Messiah followers, believers who are masters are not to threaten their people, they are to challenge them, to encourage them, to charge them, not to allow them to do what they want, but they are not to threaten them.

And here he's saying to them in verse 9, masters do the same things unto them forbearing, threatening, don't threaten them, don't treat them, don't cause them fear, and threaten those that you are in charge of. In Colossians 4, in verse 1, Paul said to the masters, masters give unto your servant that which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have a master in heaven. Give them that which is right, don't threaten them, treat them in the right way, don't threaten your inferior, or you might say those slaves, or those servants of yours. And Paul concludes in verse 9, the masters have to realize that they have someone above them who is their master, who is the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah.

And so he says in verse 9, masters do them for bearing threatening knowing that your master also is in heaven. Neither is there respect of person with him. You know, every one of us have a master in heaven. Yeshua, the Messiah, is our master. And he treats us gently. He deals with us courteously in a nice way. He's encouraging us and building us up. And a master, a believing master, a believing boss, is responsible to treat those who work for him in a right way. What a shame if he does not do it. What a testimony it is to the world around where there is such a treatment of a boss that is wrong towards the one who works for him.

And it is terrible testimony to the world around us. There are many other verses that can be read. and I'm going to conclude with 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 23. Let me just conclude with this. And you notice about Yeshua and Yeshua is the best one to finalize a message. Yeshua it says who when he was reviled he reviled not again and when he suffered he threatened not but he committed himself to him the judge righteously. You know here is Yeshua the Messiah who the way men treated him when he was upon the face of this earth and he could threaten the people and he can give them a judgment on the spot but he didn't threaten them.

He committed himself unto God who judged righteously. What a lesson to learn from Yeshua the Messiah. He suffered. He was a great example to us here on earth as a man among men an example that he had given unto us and what a challenge is this to all of us as believers in Yeshua the Messiah. Well brothers and sisters out of verse 21 of chapter 5 submitting yourself one to another in the fear of God Paul spoke to the wives to be subject to the husband to the husbands to love their wives to the children to obey to the servants to be obedient to their masters and to their masters simply not to threaten their servants recognizing that they have a master in heaven to whom they will have to give an account and their master have no respect of persons he will treat them in the very same way if they will treat their servants right God will deal with them aright and if they will threaten and treat their servants in a wrong way God has no respect of person he will deal with them in discipline if they will not submit to his words well there are much that can be said but thank God for the message that he had given to us today children fathers servants and masters may the Lord encourage us to be submissive to the Lord