Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1484
Delivered on Lord’s-Day Morning, July 20, 1879
“With goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.” Ephesians 6:7.
THIS sentence was expressly addressed, in the first place, to “servants,” which term includes and, first of all intends, those who unhappily were slaves. There were many slaves in the Roman Empire and the form of bondage which then existed was of the bitterest kind. I can imagine a slave becoming a Christian and so finding peace as to his former guilt and obtaining renewal of heart—and then, although rejoicing in the Lord, I can well conceive that he would often be downcast in view of his sad condition as a slave. I see him sitting down and moaning to himself, “I am a bondsman under a tyrant master. I have already endured many cruelties and may expect many more. I would be free, but there is no hope of escape, since there is no place to which I can flee, for Caesar’s arm is long and would reach me at the very ends of the earth. I cannot purchase my liberty, nor earn it by long years of faithful servitude.
“Neither can my fellow salves and I effect our deliverance by rebellion, for this has been tried and has ended in terrible bloodshed. I am hopelessly a slave. What shall I do? How shall I sustain my fate? My life is well-near intolerable—would to God it were at an end.” I can imagine the poor slave going to his cramped bed under the stairs— for in any hole or corner, the Roman slave might find such little rest as was allowed him—and there he would almost wish to sleep himself into another world. Being a Christian, as I have supposed, he pours out his heart before God in prayer and, in answer to his cry, the Lord Jesus sets before him the rich consolation which He has provided for all that mourn—consolation strong enough to enable him to endure to the end and glorify the name of Jesus even under such hard conditions!
While yet troubled in mind, this freeman of the Lord, who is yet in bonds to man, is met by the Savior Himself. He appears to him—I will not say in such form as could be perceived by the eyes, but in clear enough vision to be exceedingly influential over his spirit. Jesus stands before him. The five wounds adorning Him like precious rubies are infallible tokens! The face lit up with an unearthly splendor is still marked with the old lines of sorrow and the head bears the crown of thorns still about its brow. The poor slave casts himself at his Redeemer’s feet with astonishment, with awe and with intense delight! And then I think I hear those dear lips which are as lilies dropping sweet-smelling myrrh saying to His poor servant, “Fulfill your service bravely. Do it unto Me. Forget your tyrant master and remember only Me. Bear on, work on, suffer on and do all as unto Me and not unto men.”
Then I think I see the broken-hearted captive rising up refreshed with inward strength and I hear him say, “I will even bear the yoke until my Lord shall call me away! Unless His Providence shall open for me a door of liberty, I will patiently abide where I am and suffer all His will, hopefully and joyfully serving because He bids me do it for His sake.” A vision which would so greatly comfort the poor Roman slave in his extremity may well stand before each one of us. Let us each hear our Savior say, “Live unto Me and do all for My sake.” Our service is so much more pleasant and easy than that of slaves—let us perform it “with good will doing service, as unto the Lord, and not to men.” Our princely motto is, “I serve”—be this sentence emblazoned on our banner and used as the battle cry of life’s campaign!
Notice well that the Holy Spirit does not bid us leave our stations in order to serve the Lord. He does not bid us forego the domestic relations which make us husbands or wives; parents or children; masters or servants! He does not suggest to us to put on a peculiar garb and seek the seclusion of a monastery, or the retirement of monastic or conventual life. Nothing of the kind is hinted at! But rather He bids the servant continue in his or her service—“with goodwill doing service.” Our great Captain would not have you hope to win the victory by leaving your post! He would have you abide in your trade, calling, profession and all the while serve the Lord in it, doing the will of God from the heart in common things.
This is the practical beauty of our holy faith—that when it casts the devil out of a man it sends him home to bless his friends by telling them what great things the Lord has done for him. Grace does not transplant the tree, but bids it overshadow the old house at home, as before, and bring forth good fruit where it is! Grace does not make us unearthly, though it makes us unworldly. True religion distinguishes us from others, even as our Lord Jesus was separate from sinners, but it does not shut us up or hedge us round about as if we were too good or too tender for the rough usage of everyday life! It does not put us in the salt box and shut the lid, but it casts us in among our fellow men for their good!