WHOSE SLAVE ARE YOU?

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY OCTOBER 27, 2020.

SUBJECT : WHOSE SLAVE ARE YOU?

Memory verse: "Do You not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?" (Romans 6 vs 16.)

READ: John 8 vs 34 - 36:

8:34: Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a salve of sin.
8:35: And a slave does not abide not in the house forever, but a son abides forever.
8:36: Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

INTIMATION:

A person is a slave to whatever controls him or her. 

Every person has a master—either God or sin. We are controlled by our 

masters and pattern ourselves after the master as slaves to the master. You are either a slave of sin that leads to death or a slave of Jesus that leads to righteousness. 

There is no middle ground. 

All people were firstly enslaved to sin, but not anymore. Thanks to Jesus for without Him we would all had been enslaved to sin with 

no choice, 

and the results would be guilt, suffering, and separation from God. With Jesus, however, we can now choose God as our master. Following Him, we can enjoy new life and learn how to work for Him. 

In sin every part of the body is vulnerable. In Christ, every part can be an instrument for service. Therefore, i

t is impossible to be neutral. 

It is the one to whom we offer our service that makes the difference. We are like lasers that can burn destructive holes in steel places or do delicate cataract surgery. If we refuse to follow God, we will follow our sinful desires and become enslaved to what our bodies want. If we submit our lives to Christ, He will free us from slavery to sin. Christ frees us to serve Him, a freedom that results to our ultimate good. 

People today are slaves to sin until they commit their lives to Christ, who alone can conquer sin’s power. When you accept Christ’s substitutionary work for us and make Him your Master, sin, pride, and fear no longer have any claim over you, just as a slave owner no longer has power over the slaves he has sold. The Bible says we became Christ’s slaves when we become Christians (Romans 6 vs 18), but this actually means we gain our freedom, because sin no longer controls us. If we refuse to follow God, we will follow our sinful desires and become enslaved to what our bodies want. If we submit our lives to Christ, He will free us from slavery to sin. Christ frees us to serve Him, a freedom that results to our ultimate good.

The central theme of the Bible is redemption. It means “to buy back” or “to save from captivity by paying a ransom.” One way to buy back a slave was to offer an equivalent or superior slave in exchange. That is the way God chose to buy us back from slavery of sin—He offered His Son in exchange for us. In the Old Testament God accepted symbolic offering of blood to cover sin. Jesus had not yet been sacrificed, so God accepted the life of an animal in place of the life of the sinner. When Jesus came, He substituted His perfect life for our sinful lives, paying the penalty for sin that we deserve. Thus He redeemed us from the power of sin and restored us to God. 

A Christian  is not someone who cannot sin but someone who is no longer a slave to sin. 

He or she belongs to God. 

Now Christians are bound to Christ, He is their master and gives them power to do the good rather than evil. Now, how can we keep this command to not let sin control the way we live, to not give in to its desires? We can take the following steps: (1) identify our personal weaknesses, (2) recognize the things that tempt us, (3) stay away from sources of temptation, (4) practice self-restraint, (5) consciously invest our time in good habits and service, and (6) lean in God’s strength and grace. 

Sin has a way of enslaving us, controlling us, and dictating our actions. Jesus can free us from this slavery that keeps you from becoming the person God created you to be. If sin is restraining, mastering, or enslaving you, Jesus can break its power over your life. Now, a

re you still serving your first master, sin? Or have you chosen Christ? 

Will you give yourself completely to Christ, asking Him to put you to good use for His glory? It is when you turn to Christ, when you give up yourself to His personality, that you will begin to have a real personality of my own. 

Christians have presented themselves as slaves to God because they have been set free from sin (Matthew 6 vs 24; John 8 vs 34). Their expression of thanksgiving is seen in their desire to call on their Father to direct their lives. What is your attitude toward Christ, your Master? Our willingness to serve and obey Jesus Christ enables us to be useful and usable servants to do work for Him—work that really matters. Obedience begins as we renounce other masters, identify ourselves with Jesus, discover His will and live according to it, and consciously turn away from conflicting interests, even if these interests have been important to us in the past.

Prayer: Abba Father, I can’t thank You enough for Your gift of salvation. I completely surrender my life to You. Do with me whatever is pleasing to You. Give me the grace to serve a You aright in this life, and be crowned with Your glory of eternal life with You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!