Read Romans 6:15-18
Galatians 3:22 says
But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin…
1 John 5:19 says
1 John 5:19
We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.
When the Bible speaks of being a prisoner or slave to sin it is not implying that all people who reject Jesus are axe wielding murderers. Nor is it saying that each person outside of Christ is as bad as they or humanity could possibly be. When the Bible declares that non-believers are under the power of the evil, it is declaring that they are biased away from God and have not received the love of God in their hearts. It is declaring that God’s love, His honour etc are NOT their motivation in life.
If non Christians are slaves to sin, it’s understandable that Christians should be slaves to righteousness. But what does that mean in every day life? If you think about the life of a slave, he or she does the will of his/her master. When we are slaves to righteousness it means that righteousness is our master. It means that we live in the light of righteousness and seek to be righteous in all that we do, say and think. It means that we seek to be righteous in all our dealings with the world and with other believers.
A common misunderstanding among believers is that it’s ok to treat others as they treat you. So if someone hurts me it’s ok to hurt them back. If someone is rude to me then it’s ok to be rude back. Such thinking is anti-gospel and anti-righteousness. When we understand that as believers we are slaves to righteousness then our thoughts, words, actions and reactions are tempered towards holiness and righteousness. As a slave of righteousness we simply cannot treat people as they treat us. We respond in righteousness no matter how we are treated.
Jesus again is our prime example. When He was insulted He made no comments. When He was tried and found guilty, though purely innocent, He made no threats. When He was nailed to the cross He prayed for the perpetrators’ forgiveness.
As slaves to righteousness we imitate Jesus in all that we do, say and think.
Prayer:
Using today’s Bible passage and notes write down points for
Adoration:
Confession
Thanks
Supplication:
· Pray that the service this Sonday will be a powerful encouragement, blessing and challenge to the saints and that non believers would be challenged to put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
· Pray that those who teach in your church (children, youth and adults) would be filled with the Spirit and able to teach clearly and logically. Pray that their lives would match their teaching.
1. A non believer reads today’s notes and is somewhat incensed and says to you that she is not a slave to anyone or anything. She adds that she’s been a good citizen and can’t be a slave of sin. How can you respond?
2. What does it mean to be a slave of sin?
3. What does it mean to be a slave of righteousness?
4. How can a person tell which they a slave of?
5. What does today’s teaching and reading imply about ‘free will’?
One on One
While anyone can ‘love’, only when we have the heart of a slave can we love selflessly day after day, week after week, year after year, decade after decade.
A well known epitome of a slave is Mother Teresa who served tirelessly among the extreme poor in India.
At one point she declared, ‘I see Jesus in every human being. I say to myself, this is hungry Jesus, I must feed him. This is sick Jesus. This one has leprosy or gangrene; I must wash him and tend to him. I serve because I love Jesus.’
In 1994 before a Prayer Breakfast gathering in Washington she declared, ‘Jesus died on the Cross because that is what it took for Him to do good to us—to save us from our selfishness in sin. He gave up everything to do the Father’s will—to show us that we too must be willing to give up everything to do God’s will.…’
At another point she said, ‘I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.’
There really is no option for the believer but to consider him/herself as a slave to Christ Jesus. Practically that means the slave of Christ seeks to do the will of Christ in every situation.
Some everyday examples should suffice. In a loveless marriage or in a marriage argument, the slave of Christ does not seek to please him/herself or to get his/her own way. Rather the slave of Christ seeks to do the Master’s will be asking, ‘What does Jesus expect of me in this satiation?’
When a slave of Christ is hurt by another person or targeted by their enemy he or she does not meditate upon revenge but rather on the will of Christ and seeks to put that will (namely, loving your enemies) into practice.
The teenager as a slave of Christ seeks to please his/her master by being obedient and respectful to one’s parents and by mastering self control and not giving into one’s passions.
Jesus willingly took the form of slave and willingly, even joyfully washed the disciples feet. Washing feet was such a disgusting job that the Jews often hired Gentiles (ie non-Jews) to do it. But after Jesus washed the feet of His disciples He spoke these words in John 13:13–17
13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.’
Want to live a blessed life? Go out and serve as a slave!
All quotes are taken from
William J. Federer, Great Quotations: A Collection of Passages, Phrases, and Quotations Influencing Early and Modern World History Referenced according to Their Sources in Literature, Memoirs, Letters, Governmental Documents, Speeches, Charters, Court Decisions and Constitutions (St. Louis, MO: AmeriSearch, 2001).
Personal Questions
1. How’s your prayer life?
2. Describe your current thought life?
3. How’s your relationship with your spouse or your parents?
4. Discuss how and if you’ve struggled with sin/temptation this week.
5. How are you worshipping God through work, family and social networks?
that God would allow you to understand what it means to be a slave and to live like a saint.
that God would grant you the heart of a slave and the life of a saint.
that God would bring conviction upon each person in your church (including yourself) about the sins in their and your lives that needs repenting of.
1. What is the difference between a servant and a slave?
2. What would being a slave to Christ Jesus look like in the 21st Century?
3. What would change in your life if you saw yourself as a slave to Christ Jesus?
4. What is stopping you from being a slave to Christ Jesus and not just a servant?
No comments:
Post a Comment