In the climax of his discussion of submission Paul addresses those of his readers at Ephesus who were slaves and gave them a shocking command,

obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ

We might be tempted to appropriate these verses to our attitude as Christians in the workplace (as the original title of this sermon suggested), but when we dwell on the enormity of what it means to be a slave – an owned thing – it becomes clear that Paul is asking for a much greater degree of submission from us.