“Paul’s Charge to Slaves and Masters” 1 Timothy 6:1-2

We’ll take your copy of God’s holy, inerrant, sufficient word, and let’s turn in them to the Epistle of 1 Timothy. Epistle of 1 Timothy as we continue our exposition there. And this morning, the title of the message will be Paul’s Charge to Slaves and Masters.

Now soon, just even with a title like that, I imagine that it is possible that on the internet, where we have our YouTube channel and it’s live stream, that may be flagged because I use the word slave. and how that is kind of a hot term of things that go on. In fact, within my ministry, I had a message that was thoroughly biblical, but someone became so upset because I referred to the fact that the Bible addresses this issue of slavery. And in our day and age of some of the doctrines of wokeism, the rewriting of history, and so forth, we have to admit that some of the history of our country due to slavery was wickedness. It was wrong. And it was really wrong in a sense. The basic thing of wrongness into it is that it had to do with racism. The looking down upon a person based upon race.

Well, the Bible would condemn that as sin. But the issue of an economic system with respect to using slavery or slave help is really about as almost as old as mankind. It’s in the Old Testament, it’s in the New Testament, it’s regulated, and so forth. I think that our current day and age of trying to rewrite history, and all the bad out of our history, that isn’t the proper way to deal with it. The proper way is just to stare it in the face. What is truth? Truth always is what matters. To look at it truthfully and then basically do everything and everything that we can to avoid repeating it. And by way of introduction, to kind of show where I think the real issue is and how now I want to transition into, well, what does the Bible say about slavery? The Bible says we’re all slaves. You’re either a slave of God or you’re a slave of sin. And slavery is that which is used in the scriptures oftentimes not only to reflect what was going on in the economics and the physical workplace of the day and age in which the New Testament will limit this now to New Testament to when the New Testament was written. But not only that, but the thing that really makes it wrong. And so I’m going to use an illustration that will, some of you will love me for it, and others will say, I don’t know a single thing about that, and I don’t get it.

Well, just wait a couple of minutes, and this illustration will be over, and then we’ll move on. But the illustration comes from, the fact that Emily and Daniel, my daughter and son-in-law, as many of you know, is out of town. So that means their four children are at my house. So if I fall asleep in the sermon, just wake me up and then you can walk out quietly. Four and a half hours sleep last night. But anyways, we got four of the Cummings children at my house. But one of the things that we’re doing to kind of calm them, I’m not going to say a word. I’m just going to say Tacoma and everything. And with parental permission and their desire, they all wanted to watch and spend hours and hours watching Star Wars. And so we’ve started the trek. Oh, that was a bad line. Star Trek, Star Wars. There’s the sci-fi people here that’ll get that anyway. And so we’re watching Star Wars.

Well, in Star Wars, the first one, we’re starting right at the very beginning and we’re going right through. And so in Star Wars 1, little Annie Skywalker, which I don’t want to destroy it, but you know, later becomes Darth Vader. But anyways, he’s a little boy. And he is in the repair and parts store. And he’s in there. And he’s talking to Padme, who eventually he will end up marrying and making Luke Skywalker. That may just be a name you know, but anyways, I digress. And so he’s talking and he says, oh, I think you, you know, are you an angel? And you know, all the lines, although he’s a little boy, he’s got the lines, he’s pretty smooth. And he’s talking about it. And he makes this comment, how that the owner of the repair store owns him and his mother. And Padme says, now, pause. The reason why I’m mentioning this is because it is ultimately profound. It does show how long this whole issue of sensitivity in our culture of slavery has been. I come back now to the story. And he says, you know how that that was. And Padme interrupts him and says, oh, so you’re a slave. And his response was. I’m a person. And let’s face it, that’s really kind of the issue, isn’t it? The issue of within the thing of slavery within our own country, we have lost in that whole argument that slaves, bond and free, are people.

Now, with the liberal agenda, this is gonna be a preaching point just as a side thing, I’m not gonna charge extra for this, I wish they would apply that to unborn babies. They’re persons also. Well, that point’s made, but he retorts, I’m a person. And the real problem within the slavery of early history of the United States of America is when that personhood was lost and they were made possessions. Now, the only reason why I’m even spending time in the midst of all of this is, is because today we find ourself in the text of Holy Scripture. I want to remind all of us of that. This is what the Bible is saying. Don’t shoot the messenger when I am true to the scriptures. Doulas in the Greek New Testament means slave. Oh, they kind of loosened it up a little bit more, say bond servant. But he’s later in the text, he’s gonna say in the masters are despots. That means the total top one. And so slavery is what it’s all about. It’s not just about being a bond servant. It’s about being a slave. And so we’ve got to read the text for what the text says.

I don’t think we’re going to have any problems with the message of the text, but we have to keep in mind in what day that this was written, because in the context, which context is King, the Paul is addressing different groups within the church. It starts back all the way in chapter Well, technically it goes back even further than this, but we’re gonna have to limit it here for sake of time to chapter five, verse one. He takes the first two verses in chapter five and it’s a broad application. He’s looking at a group of people and he says, treat the older men like fathers, the older women like mothers, the younger men like brothers and the younger women like sisters with all purity. So he’s giving instructions on how Timothy and the elders of the church should treat the people of the church. And he takes them by age groups. So moms and dads and brothers and sisters, and he talks about that. But especially with respect to dealing with younger women, treat them in all purity. Then he goes into a larger section, verses 3 through 16, concerning the widows. And he’s interested in the widows who are really widows. Now that sounds odd because he’s gonna give some qualifications to widowhood of which the church has obligation. Look at verse three of chapter five. Honor widows who are really widows. It continues on to the last at verse 16 when he says, and do not let the church be burdened that they may relieve those who are really widows.

Well, be sandwiched in between those two verses. are the definition or is the definition of who is a real widow. And it goes on. It has an age bracket. You’ve got to be 60 years of old, 60 years of age. There’s no children. She’s basically really destitute. And we’ve considered this whole passage. I don’t want to repeat, preach it. But just to say that then he takes that section and that was a section within the local New Testament church in the first century. And Paul writing to Timothy and instructions within this pastoral epistle to tell them, OK, this is how you treat people within the church. And now we realize that the church has been persecuted. It is there’s a lot of women in the church that are widows, widows indeed. And if they have children, the children need to take care of the parents. But either if they don’t or if there are no children, then the church needs to come along. The local church has a responsibility to those who cannot take care of themselves for legitimate reasons. And we have all of those things in there and the reason why. Then in verse 17 of chapter 5, he takes another group and he looks at the elders of the church. And he says, let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in word and doctrine. And so he talks about how to honor elders. And we look at that term elder in the original language. That term elder is different than the elderly men over in chapter five, verse one. And the elders are those who have spiritual oversight in the scriptures. There are three Greek terms, maybe one more, but it’s the episkopos, presbyteros, and poimen. It’s pastor, elder, or bishop. Bishop is used in the King James translation in verse one of chapter three. If a man desires the position or office of a bishop, he desires a good work, and then he gives the qualifications for elders. And if you compare the other epistles, elders, bishops, pastors, all referred to the same office of pastor.

The London Confession of Faith recognizes that the Westminster Confession of Faith recognizes that there’s two offices of a local church. of elders, pastors, bishops, and of deacons. And then he gives those qualifications, chapter three. Well, here he says, now let the elders that rule well. So there is elder rule within the church, elder rule, elder oversight, and guidance, and preaching, and teaching. and that were to honor them. And so it mentions there what it is. You shouldn’t muzzle the ox when it treads out the grain. And it refers to that they need to be taken care of. And then verse 21 or I’m sorry, no up in verse. 19, he then says now with respect to elders and their treating of them, he gives a charge. Do not receive an accusation against an elder except for two or three witnesses. So not only do you honor them, you protect them that because they are dealing with people, they may fall prey to the unspiritual or the wicked. And therefore, you have to collaborate stories and it needs to have some witnesses and so forth. Then verse 21. He says, now, if you’re going to choose the elders, and again, he’s talking about people within groups of people, of people within the local church. He says, I charge that before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels, that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins. Keep yourself pure. And he goes on then and gives some personal advice to Timothy about alcohol and infirmities and his sickness. We consider that on Wednesday night. But the point is this, that when you in the selection of elders, it needs to be done carefully and not suddenly. They need to be proven men and so forth. So he’s got these different groups of people.

Well, the text continues in context, even as we go into chapter six. However, it’s a new chapter. So if you read your New Testament and please remember, chapter divisions are not inspired. The text is. but not the verses numbers, you know, as far as how it’s divided up. And this is an unfortunate one because now he goes to another set or subdivision within a congregation. And within this congregational circumstance, we learn a lot about the early New Testament church and what it was like. We also learn about the spread of the gospel. And so let me pause here to say that there are over 150 verses that use the term doulos in different contexts and in different ways. And it just shows us that slavery was in that culture. Very much so. It also shows us and this is what is kind of like a laying foundation or an assumption. That’d be a good word. The assumption is that there was slavery. With slaveries, you’ve got slaves and you’ve got masters and that the gospel does not have parameters or a grip on any either one of those, because we learn in the book of Galatians, chapter six, that there’s therefore now no male, female, no bond or free. So the gospel goes to all masters and slaves.

What we also find out is that the implication is given is that slavery Salvation, I’ll put it that way, or the salvation of slaves seems to have been pretty broad, which only shouldn’t surprise us because not many wise, not many noble, which, you know, those would have money would tend to be the slave owners. And it doesn’t say not any, but it said not many. And so the poor and slavery that the gospel went like wildfire and many got saved. That’s why we read Peter talked about it in first Peter chapter two. And well, we have a whole book of the Bible about it. The book of Philemon. Remember how that Onesimus was a slave and he ran away and Paul wrote and said, hey, you need to receive him back. And you treat him well and you don’t beat him. You don’t, you know, treat him as a brother and so forth. And so this shows kind of the delicate balance that was going on in the New Testament. Now, please hear me. The wickedness of racism in that kind of slavery is wrong. But straight in the kind of slavery that this was and how slave owners and slaves would be, the Bible does not condemn that. But it does say how it’s to be, quote unquote, regulated. And that we will see here in our text. And so, like Paul wrote to Philemon and said, you receive him back and you treat him well. But he had that delicate balance where it was, hey, you need to go back. And then he goes to the master and you need to receive him and treat him like a Christian. Because now what do you do if you’re a slave, you’re a Christian, but what if your master’s not a Christian? What are you supposed to do? You’ve been set free from your sin, but you’re still in slavery and you have a master.

Well, if you’re a slave and you’re a Christian and your master is a slave, then the delicate balance is, I don’t like him. He should not be my master. He doesn’t need to be my despot. Well, what does that do? And then what do you do when all of those people are in the church? And that’s what he’s addressing. Because it was a group of people and it was significant in the New Testament times of what that was like. Now. Praise be unto our holy sovereign God that slavery like that, like that, or the wickedness of racism slavery, that is all illegal and wrong and we don’t have that today. Unfortunately, there is another kind of slavery that goes on when people own others and make them do terrible deeds. And that is, again, contemptible and total wickedness. But we don’t have official slavery or an economical system. But we do have what’s called, oh, you’ll love this, employment.

Did you know that 70% of the people in the United States of America, 70% do not like their job. And probably 20% more lied because they thought their boss might see the results. No, I don’t know that. But there’s at least 70 people that don’t like their jobs. There’s 90% that don’t like getting up. To go to work, well, okay, that one is understandable, but there’s a lot of people that just don’t like work. I saw a bumper sticker once that said, I owe, I owe, so off to work I go. You know, we look at work as a necessary evil. You do realize Adam and Eve were commanded of God to till the garden before the fall. It was sweat and a brow and that thistles and causing a pain is what is part of the fall and the fall part of of that work. is something God wants us to do. And the system of economics and all of that is important. There is no condemnation to all of this, but the Bible is full of illustrations of those that Jesus used illustrations and the Bible uses illustrations of slavery all the time. Remember the centurion and he talked about his ability as a despot in the home to command his slaves, you go there, and they go, I say, come here and they come. That’s showing he had complete control over them. And there’s so many places in the New Testament that has that.

Well, in our text this morning. First Timothy, chapter six, verses one and two, we have two important points of Paul’s instruction to slaves and by way of implication to masters. Now, the reason why I said that there was probably more slaves in the congregation than there were masters, one, because there were more of them, more slaves than masters just in the culture, but also because We get this when he says, let as many bond servants, and that’s the term doulos, it’s the term of a slave, that let as many slaves that are as under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor. So it’s this charge that he’s giving to this group in the church as a group, he addresses to the slaves, And so that’s why I think there was more of them. But by way of the application, he’s now gonna eventually get in the second admonition, the second charge, the believing masters. So that just teaches us that within the church, there were masters and there were slaves in the first century. It was not condemned, but it was regulated, controlled because Christianity changes a person. Now, so within this, we have Paul’s charge to slaves with unbelieving masters. Let me read the second verse.

Well, the two verses together. Let as many bond servants or slaves that are as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor. It doesn’t say if they’re believers or not. so that the name of God and his doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, see, that’s the distinction. The first group, the first admonition, what do you do if you’re a slave and your master’s not a Christian? That’ll be the first one. The second one, what do you do if you’re a slave and you have a believing master? Okay? It doesn’t say go out and rip down a statue. It doesn’t say go out and rewrite history. It doesn’t say go out and condemn and it’s gonna give some, if you have a believing master, what are you to do? Let them not despise them. Don’t despise a believing master because they are brothers or brethren, but rather, Don’t have bad feelings towards a believing master, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Jesus kind of taught that principle. And he says, because the ones that are getting benefited by you being the slave and doing good work for them, the ones that are benefited are believers and beloved. That is, they’re loved ones.

So you could be a Christian and a slave owner. Where it almost in the way that this is discussed today, that that was if you were ever a slave owner, you’re not worthy of any attention whatsoever and you’re the basic scum of the earth. That isn’t what the text says. And then we have the final exhortation. Teach and exhort these things. the importance of being a brother or sister in the family of God and working for those that are lost and working for those that are believers. Now, by way of application, this would refer to with respect to the working class. It creates what is called a Christian world work ethic. Work is a good thing. Work was instituted before the fall, as already pointed out. And we need to properly understand that whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. And not into just yourself, Colossians 323. So let’s take a look at this false charge to the slaves with unbelieving masters.

Now, this it’s interesting what is done here. He’s already said that elders are to be honored Why? Because you don’t muzzle the ox when it treads the grain. Now, I doubt if anybody in here, I know some who own goats and some who own maybe some other things or at least their family have cows, but I don’t know of anyone that where you could see an ox. But the idea was you have an ox that treads the grain and pulls the millstone around and it grinds the grain and so forth. And the idea there is, is taking an Old Testament illustration and he is under a yoke. He’s doing hard work and he’s underneath the command of the farmer or the owner of the granary. What’s interesting here is that the picture is, let as many bond servants as are under the yoke. And so that idea of what does it mean to be under the yoke?

Well, in the Greco-Roman scheme of employment kind of things, There were several ways you could get in. And this is why, this is not to be equated to the early years of the United States. Because you could sell yourself into slavery if you didn’t know what else to do. Slaves came from prisoners of war. Sometimes they were purchased, but sometimes a person would give them over to pay a debt. Many chose, after they were freed, they stayed because all of their needs were met. If you worked in a certain job, you got clothing, you got food, you got housing, and they thought, hey, I’m good, I’m just gonna stay here. The rights of slaves in this particular time that they could be released after six years, wife and children were to stay with their husbands, masters gave, masters sometimes would even give them wives of the slaves choice, religious rights were observed and protected. That slaves, slavery in that kind of way was not so much as a negative thing as it was a statement of the reality of that day and age in which they lived. However, slaves were under authority, but they sometimes were under authority in noble positions, but they did have the orders to obey. They were to work. And so this idea of being under the yoke was their concept of the idea of what you were supposed to do.

Now the word for masters, when it says to their own masters, The term master is the Greek word where we get the term despot, despotates, that the despot, which it means an absolute unrestricted authority. Sometimes that has been used of the of God himself and of the Lord Jesus Christ. Second Timothy chapter two will eventually get their second Peter chapter two, verse one. And in Jude, in Jude four, the term despot is used. that it was an absolute unrestricted authority. The slave who has an unbelieving despot, person over him, what is supposed to be the Christian’s response? Notice what it says. To their own masters worthy of all honor. You’re supposed to honor them. You know, you do have to use words to share the gospel, but sometimes how Christians responds and what Christians do. We all know that phrase. Sometimes your actions speak louder than your words. That or it goes something like your actions are speaking so loud, I loudly, I can’t hear your words. There’s a lot of people that claim to be Christians and their lives reek of Satan. And because of that, A slave that has an unbelieving master, he’s to show honor unto the one who has complete authority over him. That’s what the text says.

But then he goes on and says, this is the reason why. Just because we’re low people on the totem pole because of, no, it’s not about us actually at all. Why does a slave give honor to an unbelieving master, despot? Why does a Christian employee who has an unsaved employer or manager, why do you do a good job Well, he gives the reasons right here in the text. When it says, so that, and that is what’s called explanatory. This is why you do show them honor. So that, the name of God. Now, name of God refers to the person of God. So that God and doctrine.

Now, this one has the italicized his doctrine. In the original language, it has the definite article and it refers to Remember, it’s the same thing that he says in chapter one when he talks about how that he wants Timothy to remember the teaching. Don’t fall into the bad teachings of those that have doctrines of demons, but guard the teachings. And here he says, you honor and you work hard for unsaved people. Why? so that God is remembered. And when you have the opportunity to share God, when they know that you’re a Christian, that God has changed your life. The testimony of the name of God is on the line. And that’s why you do it. is so that they have nothing upon which they can blaspheme God and said, oh yeah, I know those Christians, they try to get by with the least amount of work as possible. They’re always trying to, I caught, you know, that guy over there, he was behind the haystack sleeping. And he is always late to work, he is, laziness is not a Christian virtue. being a good employee is part of your Christian testimony. And we need to be good employees, whether you work for a Christian organization or not. But then what do you do with respect to that? And what does he go on to say?

Well, he continues in chapter two, and it gets quite interesting because here, The slave handles it differently. A lot of times, a slave may feel that he can do a bad job if the guy’s unsaved because, well, he’s unsaved, and I don’t need, and I’m a child of God, and I don’t need to work hard for him. Well, you’re thinking too much of yourself. and you’re not thinking about him, your employer, look at verse two. And those who have believing masters, these are masters that know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. And so now you got a believing master and a believing, you have a believing slave. He says here, let the slaves, let them not despise them because they are brethren. The term despise is the word to look down upon. Don’t look down upon. Watch your attitude as it were. You’re not to show disrespect. They are brethren. He shouldn’t, I shouldn’t have to work for him. I shouldn’t have to take the dog out. I shouldn’t have to do whatever it is and to despise him. No, and if you’re an employee, you need to, if you have a believing employer, you need to do a good job. Why? Because he’s a brother in Christ. But that’s not the only reason. when he says here, do not despise them. They are brethren. But rather, what are you to do? Serve them. To do work hard for them, because here’s the reason. Those who are benefited and are believers. We should seek the success of one another, and if you’re employed by a Christian, you should seek his success, seek the goodness of that benefit, or the benefit of that corporation, whatever, because he’s a believer, and those who are benefited, they are believers too, and they are loved of God.

Now, that is because they are brethren, This concept is actually seen in three other New Testament places. Take your Bible and turn with me to Galatians chapter six. Galatians chapter six. Galatians chapter six, verse 10, says this. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all. That would include believers, non-believers. especially to those who are of the household of faith. Our testimony and how we treat others becomes important. Ephesians chapter six, again, in that practical section, and Paul is writing to Timothy, who is an elder there in Ephesus, and Ephesians chapter six, beginning at verse five, notices instruction to these, bondservants, or the word doula, slaves, Be obedient to those who are your masters. He doesn’t condemn it. He says, obey them according to the flesh with fear and trembling in sincerity of heart. And then here it’s how you are supposed to serve them and obey them as to Christ. Be a good employee, be a good slave. Not with I service as men pleasers, but as bondservants or as slaves of Christ. We are the slaves of Christ. Doing the will of God from the heart. with good will doing service as to the Lord and not unto men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. So he says, serve them well, do good unto them. But notice in verse nine, then he said, and you masters, you do the same thing to them, giving up, threatening. And what I find interesting is that it must be the mark of a despot and those who are masters, this is one of the dangers, they like to threaten. And he says, Christian despots, Christian slave owners are not to use threatenings. And that shows the Christian ethic. Knowing that your own master who also is in heaven and there is no partiality with him, Because who is the ultimate one to whom we bow? It is to God. And Colossians, the third one. Colossians chapter three.

Now a reason why I’m having us turn to these, these are three New Testament epistles. This issue of bondservants, slaves, and masters was addressed in all of these early New Testament letters. Why? Because it was a section of the church and they needed to deal with it. Colossians chapter three. And verse 22, bond servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh. Now, I’m going to pause here to say, you know, all doesn’t always mean all, everything. Obviously, if they say curse God and die, a Christian slave is not going to do that. I’d rather die. But they’re saying, if it’s not immoral, illegal, then obey your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service as men pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not unto men. Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ, but he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality. Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a despot. You have a Lord in heaven. So with respect to the slavery of what we think of usually first thing comes to mind the United States of America condemned sinful because of the racist element that was within it. But within an economical system New Testament biblical admonition We have to say it existed, but it was regulated by the inerrant word of God that masters were to take care of, in a Christian way, all of those underneath them, and that Christian slaves were to act like Christians as well.

Now, with that kind of a system, eventually, then slavery would have come to an end because of the glory of God. But we are to serve obediently, completely, respectively, with respect, Eagerly, diligently, humbly, spiritually. But here’s the special phrase, as unto Christ. How important is it? Well, the text says, teach and preach these things. So within the church, you treat the older men like fathers, the older women like mothers, the younger men like brothers, the younger women like sisters, and all purity. Church has a lot of widows. Let’s talk about them a little bit. In church, you need to take care of those widows, those widows indeed. And the elders, you know, you need to honor them. You need to respect them. You need to discipline them if they fall into sin. but you also need to pick them, select them carefully. And concerning you slaves, you need some instruction too. You do a good job. Even if you do not have a believing owner, because you don’t want them blaspheming God, and you don’t want them blaspheming the teaching that you say you’ve received. And those of you that have believing masters, and by the way, if there’s some believing masters here, you have responsibilities to take care of them, to not be harsh with them, and to encourage them. And the slaves that are here, feel bad that if your master has success in business and he has that nice house up on the hill and you’re living, don’t begrudge that because God is the one who bestows sovereignly the good gifts. Now what’s interesting is there’s one more group, but he’s gonna first of all talk about the preacher. But then there’s another group in verse 17 of chapter six, and command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty. And he goes on and discusses that. We got two more groups to look at. The good man of God and his preaching and so forth in his ministry, and the dangers of being rich in this world. And then he’ll bring the book to a close and then give some further illustration or further instruction in Second Timothy.

We need to teach and preach these things. One thing that I get from all of this is this. The gospel of Jesus Christ is for slaves and masters. It isn’t limited to only the unfortunate, but also the blessed, because the gospel of Jesus Christ is all. Another basic principle, a strong work ethic reveals your faith. That’s really what it’s about, isn’t it? How you work, your attitude towards work, your attitude towards others who maybe have authority over you does make a difference. A Christian is going to be a different kind of a person in the workplace than a non-Christian. May God cause us to be found faithful.

Let’s pray. Our Father in heaven, how we thank you and praise you for the gospel of Christ, that it isn’t just for the wealthy, nor is it just for slaves and the hardworking class. It is for all who will come to faith in Christ. Father, I thank you for the practical applications and instructions of the Word of God. And though at times there are cultural issues and the proper understanding that we need to have, but Father, may we never lose sight of the fact of what the Bible clearly teaches, that we are either slaves to sin and of the God of this world, or we are your slaves, owned by you, purchased by you, and that the Bible uses the imagery of slavery for each one of us that know Christ as Savior. And when we properly understand that, I would want no other master, Lord, despot, over me than the great God and Father of the universe and of Jesus Christ, his Son. Thank you for pointing these things out to us and calling us by your grace. We praise you today in Jesus’ name, amen.