Introduction
Are you willing to follow Jesus into the “next level” of discipleship, honoring people over you even when they don’t feel honorable? The central teaching is this: mature disciples learn to honor up under authority because we bear God’s name and God’s message in the world (1 Timothy 6:1). There are moments when our cultural moment lines up with our journey through Scripture. We’ve been walking through Paul’s letter to Timothy to see what a trustworthy church looks like, especially a church with a culture of honor. It’s fitting to pause and honor mothers, many of us learned our very first lessons about authority, sacrifice, and love through them. But today Paul takes us into a harder category of honor, one that doesn’t come naturally from compassion (like honoring widows) or gratitude (like honoring faithful pastors). He moves us to the level where discipleship becomes real: honoring under the yoke.
Main Points
Are you willing to follow Jesus into the “next level” of discipleship, honoring people over you even when they don’t feel honorable? The central teaching is this: mature disciples learn to honor up under authority because we bear God’s name and God’s message in the world (1 Timothy 6:1).
There are moments when our cultural moment lines up with our journey through Scripture. We’ve been walking through Paul’s letter to Timothy to see what a trustworthy church looks like, especially a church with a culture of honor. It’s fitting to pause and honor mothers, many of us learned our very first lessons about authority, sacrifice, and love through them.
But today Paul takes us into a harder category of honor, one that doesn’t come naturally from compassion (like honoring widows) or gratitude (like honoring faithful pastors). He moves us to the level where discipleship becomes real: honoring under the yoke.
There Are Levels to Discipleship
You’ve heard the phrase, “There are levels to this.” It’s meant to humble us, because life keeps revealing new layers of difficulty and growth. Motherhood has levels. Seasons of life have levels. And discipleship has levels.
It’s not difficult for me to encourage you to honor a mother who loved you well. But it takes real spiritual maturity to keep walking the road of honoring and praying for those who are difficult, even enemies. That’s why this passage matters: it trains us for the deeper, less instinctive kind of honor.
The Next Level: Honor Under the Yoke
Paul writes:
“Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor…” (1 Timothy 6:1)
This is the next level of honor: honor that flows not from ease, but from obedience. Paul speaks to those at the bottom of the social ladder and says, in effect, “Honor up.”
That’s where discipleship pushes us: to places we would not go without Jesus. The call is not to pretend authority structures are always good, but to learn how to live as Christ’s people inside the ones we actually have.
Does the Bible Condone Slavery?
When we read a passage like this, the honest question arises: Is Paul endorsing slavery?
We need to remember the real historical context. Slavery/servitude in the Roman Empire was widespread, some estimate 15–20% of people. It was not primarily race-based like modern chattel slavery. People entered servitude through debt, voluntary service (sometimes tied to citizenship or survival), or birth into a household. There was often a legal pathway to freedom.
Still, it was not God’s ideal for human flourishing. It grieved God’s heart.
So why doesn’t Paul launch a political campaign to end it immediately? Because the kingdom of God works from the inside out, transforming people and relationships first, and then reshaping societies through changed lives. Jesus said:
“My kingdom is not of this world…” (John 18:36)
The early disciples wanted political overthrow; Jesus targeted the deeper enemy: sin. The resurrection launched a movement that transforms hearts first, and then cultures, like a mustard seed growing over time.
Hold onto that: when you become a Christian, God does not instantly reform the entire world around you. But He does bring a new light into you that begins reform from the inside out.
The Yoke Applies to All of Us
Paul’s phrase “under the yoke” is vivid. A yoke was an agricultural tool placed on shoulders for work. But it also represents the weight of authority structures.
Even if you’re not a literal bondservant, you know what it is to live “under a yoke”:
- Children under parents
- Students under teachers and rubrics
- Employees under bosses, managers, and workplace expectations
- Citizens under laws and authorities
This is not accidental; it’s the reality of life in the world. And inside that reality, discipleship makes us stand out. I’ve heard it said that discipleship produces two things: outstanding neighbors and upstanding citizens. One key training ground for that is learning to honor those over you.
“Yes Mom” Trains the Heart for “Yes Lord”
On a day like today, let me bring this close to home. In many ways, God gives us a “starter pack” for learning honor: your mother.
Some of you may be in church today only because your mom asked you to come. If all you do is sit by her, take a photo, and move on with your life, that’s religion, dutiful but not devoted. The deeper honor she wants is your whole life shaped by Christ.
A practical discipline I want you to learn is simple: when your mom asks you something, respond with honor, “Yes mom.” That doesn’t just give credit in the moment; it trains you for a world where authorities may not be as patient or kind:
- “Yes coach”
- “Yes boss”
- “Yes officer”
- “Yes, your honor”
And beneath all of that, the goal is a heart that says: “Yes, Lord.” There is no greater honor you can give your mother than becoming the kind of person who honors God with your life.
The Forgotten Metaphor: Master and Servant
Paul isn’t only addressing social reality; he’s echoing a discipleship metaphor many people avoid: master and bondservant.
Jesus said:
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me… For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)
We love the invitation to rest. But we often stop reading before we hear the exchange: you don’t merely drop burdens, you take Christ’s yoke.
Christianity is not God becoming your consultant for your plans. You were bought with a price; you are not your own. The gospel doesn’t make you an earthly ruler, it makes you a joyful servant of a heavenly King.
Romans captures the transformation: we were once slaves to sin, and now we belong to righteousness. The yoke changes. The owner changes. And with it, everything changes: bitterness can become forgiveness; selfish plans can become surrendered obedience.
Honor Protects God’s Name and God’s Doctrine
Paul gives two reasons for honoring up:
“…so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed.” (1 Timothy 6:1)
First: God’s name. When you belong to Jesus, you carry His reputation into every relationship under authority. In the Roman world, a slave was considered a nobody. But in Christ, even the lowest person becomes an ambassador, entrusted with the Name above all names.
Let me make it painfully practical with a modern parable: imagine a lawn care worker who is late, lazy, disrespectful, argumentative, leaves early, and makes the work harder. Then the boss sees the worker’s truck with a big church sticker on it and thinks, “So that’s what they teach there.” That’s what Paul means: a life that drags God’s name through the mud.
Baptism is a vivid reminder of this. When you go into the water, you identify with Christ’s life and death; when you come out, you declare to the world: I bear His name now. Your life can be a testimony, or a counter-testimony.
Second: God’s doctrine. You don’t only carry God’s name; you carry God’s message. Your life displays what you truly believe. If Christ is not risen, then teaching is in vain. But because He is risen, we can live with hope that outweighs suffering.
That’s why doctrine matters under the yoke: how you endure, serve, and honor reveals whether you really believe in eternity, resurrection, and the weight of glory that outweighs present suffering. Grumbling, constant contempt, and hopelessness preach a sermon too, one that tells the world your God and your gospel are not enough.
Conclusion
Discipleship has levels, and today you’re being invited into a deeper one: honoring up under the yoke. Paul calls us to honor not because every authority is perfect, but because Christ is Lord, and because we bear His name and His doctrine everywhere we go.
So I want you to practice this in real life. Start where you are: honor your mother not with a moment, but with a life. Learn to respond with respect under authority. And let every “yes” you speak, at home, at school, at work, in society, be training for the truest allegiance of all: “Yes, Lord.”
Father, thank You for placing us in Your family and for teaching us how to live as disciples of Jesus. Thank You for mothers and for every faithful act of love, patience, and sacrifice we’ve received. Forgive us for the ways we’ve dishonored authority with pride, grumbling, or contempt. Jesus, teach us to take Your yoke upon us and learn from You, because You are gentle and lowly in heart. Fill us with the Holy Spirit so we would honor those over us in a way that protects Your name and displays Your doctrine clearly. Make our lives a testimony that You are risen, You are good, and You are worth following. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Conclusion
Discipleship has levels, and today you’re being invited into a deeper one: honoring up under the yoke. Paul calls us to honor not because every authority is perfect, but because Christ is Lord, and because we bear His name and His doctrine everywhere we go.
So I want you to practice this in real life. Start where you are: honor your mother not with a moment, but with a life. Learn to respond with respect under authority. And let every “yes” you speak, at home, at school, at work, in society, be training for the truest allegiance of all: “Yes, Lord.”
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for placing us in Your family and for teaching us how to live as disciples of Jesus. Thank You for mothers and for every faithful act of love, patience, and sacrifice we’ve received. Forgive us for the ways we’ve dishonored authority with pride, grumbling, or contempt. Jesus, teach us to take Your yoke upon us and learn from You, because You are gentle and lowly in heart. Fill us with the Holy Spirit so we would honor those over us in a way that protects Your name and displays Your doctrine clearly. Make our lives a testimony that You are risen, You are good, and You are worth following. In Jesus’ name, amen.