As Unto the Lord - Pastor Mills

Paul grounds every relationship in one repeated phrase: “in the Lord,” “of the Lord,” “as to Christ,” and “as to the Lord.” Ephesians 6 does not allow children, parents, servants, masters, employees, employers, or anyone else to treat people merely according to what they can get back. Christ becomes the One being served in every hard interaction. This mindset is foundational to healthy homes, healthy marriages, and healthy workplaces because it takes the focus off changing people and puts it on faithfulness to Jesus.

David shows what this looks like when Saul, the Lord’s anointed, becomes a dangerous and demon possessed king. Saul hunts David, throws javelins at him, drives him from his home, and seeks his life. God then places Saul alone and vulnerable in the cave, right in David’s hands. David’s men see an opportunity to solve the problem, but David sees the Lord’s anointed. David refuses to stretch out his hand against Saul because he trusts God to deal with Saul in God’s own time.

David’s restraint reveals a profound walk of faith. God does not ask David to approve of Saul’s evil, deny the danger, or remain without boundaries. God calls David to refuse bitterness, revenge, and the urge to get ahead of God. David treats Saul as he would treat Christ, not because Saul deserves it or because David expects Saul to change, but because it is right before God. Saul may never respond rightly, but David can still have peace in the turmoil.

David later forgets this same truth when he uses his authority selfishly against Bathsheba and Uriah. Nathan’s story of the poor man’s little lamb exposes David’s sin: the king took what did not belong to him and destroyed what he had no right to destroy. The lamb points beyond David’s failure to Christ Himself. Matthew 25 confirms that whatever is done to the least of Christ’s brethren is done to Christ.

Paul therefore calls every believer to stop living as a people pleaser. Goodwill, obedience, care, discipline, service, and leadership must come from the heart as unto the Lord. Philippians 2 identifies the only way this can happen: the mind of Christ must be received through daily prayer and surrender. Jesus alone can transform painful relationships into places where His character is reflected.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Treat every person as Christ Paul’s instruction reaches far beyond a workplace arrangement or a family role. Christ receives the way people treat those above them and those under them. This truth gives ordinary interactions eternal weight, because kindness, honesty, patience, and restraint become acts offered directly to Jesus. [36:24]
• 2. Trust God’s timing with Saul David had every human reason to remove Saul when Saul stood defenseless in the cave. David refused to seize control because God had not given him permission to move ahead of divine timing. Faith does not need to force an outcome when God has already seen the whole story. [50:03]
• 3. Stop living to please people People pleasing keeps the heart trapped in disappointment because other people cannot be controlled. Paul calls Christ’s servants to do the will of God from the heart, rather than adjusting every response to gain approval. Christ’s “well done” gives stability even when another person remains unfair, angry, or unchanged. [53:22]
• 4. Authority must reflect Christ’s care David’s fall shows how quickly authority becomes destructive when it is used for self instead of for God. Christ identifies Himself with the vulnerable, the needy, and the least of these, so wrongdoing against another person is never merely horizontal. Leadership is a trust from God, not a license to take what belongs to someone else. [62:34]
• 5. Receive the mind of Christ daily The mind of Christ does not come through white knuckling or trying harder. Prayerful surrender places the heart before Jesus, where He reshapes the way people think, respond, and serve. Daily dependence on Christ changes homes and relationships because His presence changes the people within them.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [28:32] - Minds Reflective of Christ
• [32:00] - Prayer for God’s Presence
• [33:19] - Ephesians 6 and Serving Christ
• [37:41] - David and Saul’s Broken Leadership
• [44:07] - Saul Enters David’s Cave
• [47:56] - David Spares the Lord’s Anointed
• [51:24] - Stop Trying to Please People
• [56:44] - David’s Failure as King
• [61:18] - The Least of These and Christ
• [64:03] - Every Relationship Unto the Lord
• [66:21] - Receiving the Mind of Christ
• [68:16] - Peace in the Turmoil

Bible Reading

Ephesians 6:1-9
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ‘that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.’ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.”
[33:19]

1 Samuel 24:1-7
“When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, ‘Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.’ Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks. And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. And the men of David said to him, ‘Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, “Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.”’ Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. He said to his men, ‘The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.’ So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.”
[47:55]

Matthew 25:40
“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”
[01:02:34]

Philippians 2:5
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,”
[01:06:35]

Observation questions

1. What repeated phrases in Ephesians 6 show that Paul wants children, parents, servants, and masters to see their relationships as belonging to the Lord? [35:26]
2. In the cave, what did David’s men believe Saul’s presence gave David the opportunity to do, and what did David actually do instead?
3. What details show how much Saul’s actions had already cost David before Saul entered the cave? [48:43]
4. According to Matthew 25:40, how does Jesus connect the way people treat “the least of these” with the way they treat Him? [01:02:56]

Interpretation questions

1. Ephesians 6 tells believers to serve “as to the Lord” rather than as people-pleasers. How does this change the reason someone obeys, serves, leads, or cares for another person? [52:38]
2. David refused to take revenge on Saul, yet David was also fleeing Saul’s violence and protecting his life. What does David’s response show about the difference between trusting God and pretending that harmful behavior is acceptable? [50:05]
3. Why might David have felt convicted even after only cutting Saul’s robe? What does this reveal about how seriously he viewed Saul’s God-given position? [52:13]
4. David treated Saul with restraint but later used his own authority to harm Bathsheba and Uriah. What warning does this give to anyone who has influence, responsibility, or authority over others? [01:00:43]

Application questions

1. Is there a relationship in which you have been trying hard to make someone change, approve of you, or treat you better? What might it look like to be faithful to Christ in that relationship without making the other person’s response the measure of your peace? [53:22]
2. Who is difficult for you to treat with patience and respect right now—a family member, coworker, leader, employee, neighbor, or fellow believer? What is one specific Christlike response you could offer this week?
3. David did not take revenge into his own hands, but he also did not remain carelessly exposed to Saul’s violence. Where might you need both a clear boundary and a heart free from bitterness? [01:15:01]
4. If you have authority in a home, workplace, ministry, classroom, or friendship, how could you replace pressure, harshness, or threats with the care Christ shows to people? [56:44]
5. Matthew 25 reminds us that Christ receives our treatment of vulnerable and overlooked people personally. Is there someone around you whose needs, dignity, or voice may be easy to overlook? What tangible act of care could you take?
6. People-pleasing often makes obedience feel exhausting because it depends on getting the response we want. Where do you notice people-pleasing in your own heart, and how would serving “from the heart” for Jesus change that situation? [55:03]
7. The mind of Christ is received through daily dependence on Jesus, not by trying harder alone. What simple pattern of prayer, Scripture, or surrender could help you begin each day by placing a difficult relationship before Christ? [01:07:20]