The Master... And the Slave

Tonight we are going to focus in on two terms… terms we don’t like to use often in our culture.

The history we have with these two terms is dark, concerning, and something we never want to repeat.

And yet… it still remains a reality today. We face a different kind of slave trade that is absolutely awful, evil, and demeaning.

Slavery has been around for a long time.

We can trace it all the way back to the first book in the Bible! We know Joshua was sold into slavery by his brothers.

My point is… this world is very familiar with the master/slave relationship.

We know a master has full control over his/her slaves.

We know a slave is considered the property of the master… to be utilized in anyway the master desires.

A person can become a slave through various means:

Owing a debt they cannot pay.

Being forced through capture.

Being sold unwillingly.

Or… even through offering themselves to the situation.

Who in the WORLD would offer themselves to be a slave?

This doesn’t seem logical at all! It doesn’t make sense for someone to willingly give up their freedom to someone or something else… but truly, everyone is serving someone.

Even Jesus knew this and taught on this. He gave the instruction that no one can serve two masters… either you will love one or hate the other. And then He drops the mic when He says, “You cannot serve both God AND money.”

So why all this talk regarding slaves and masters? Because that is the imagery Paul uses to close out chapter 6 in Romans.

Paul talks about two specifics masters. He then talks about our choice to choose which master we will serve.

And you might be thinking, “Pastor, I am slave to NO ONE. I am my own person and I live in freedom. This has nothing to do with me.” But the Word of God is here to tell you… yes you are. AND… it can be a good thing… a VERY GOOD THING… SO LONG AS WE ARE SERVING THE RIGHT MASTER!!! It’s all about… WHO we offer ourselves to.

Here’s the deal: Paul is talking to people who know the difference between sin and righteousness. The audience is very familiar with those two terms. They are also familiar with the concept of slavery.

Remember, he is emphasizing the power of the gospel message. We are saved by grace, not works. Sin should no longer be a part of our lives. We cannot live a resurrected life in Christ, with one foot still stuck in the grave (old ways).

In fact Paul takes a moment to express why he is using the terms master and slave in Romans 6:19

Romans 6:19 NIV

19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.

I think the problem here is simple: People tend to underestimate or downplay the power sin can have over them.

Sin… is no laughing matter. Sin is not something to play with. Sin should have no place in the life of the believer.

Sin is not forced on us… sin is chosen. Once sin is chosen, the chains are binding. There is only one source of power that can break the power of sin… and that is the blood of Christ!

Notice in verse 19 Paul’s choice to use the word… offer. We make the choice to offer ourselves to whom we will serve. To offer is to present as an act of worship or devotion : SACRIFICE. It is the laying down of one self.

That is a powerful and thought provoking definition. Who or what are you giving yourself to? For who or what are you laying yourself down for?

Paul says we have two choices: Sin… or righteousness.

Offer and Obey

Romans 6:15–18 NIV

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Right out of the box, Paul makes clear that grace does not abolish the law or wipe it out… it fulfills it. Therefore, the definition of sin remains… but the price for sin has been paid. So as we come under God’s grace, we need to stop offering ourselves to the pattern of sin.

When we offer ourselves to obey… we become slaves to that which we have offered ourselves to.

Obedience is the fruit of the offering. Obedience is the walk that reveals the master. Obedience is the active submission.

If obedience does not follow the offering… there was never a true offering to begin with.

The two options we can offer ourselves to are:

The way of the world.

The way of the Word.

Both are leading in two completely different directions.

The way of the world is selfish and sinful. The Bible makes clear it will lead to death. THERE IS NO HAPPY OUTCOME HERE.

No matter what the world might say, no matter how your body might feel, no matter what your mind might think… sin will ALWAYS lead to death.

The way of the Word is the way of our Lord and Savior. It leads to life and righteousness.

It is the path God laid out for us in the beginning. He gave us all of the good… and none of the bad… and yet we chose to offer ourselves to the bad. But the way of the Word has opened the door to forgiveness and salvation. We can truly be set free from our decision to sin.

The moment we give our lives to Christ is the moment we say goodbye to sin and hello to life more abundantly!

In Christ, we STOP offering ourselves to sin and we offer all that we are to Jesus AND our obedience to His Word is the evidence of our offering.

We USED TO BE SLAVES to sin! USED TO BE! Again, look at what verse 18 states, you have been SET FREE from sin and have become slaves to righteousness!

So… what does that mean, exactly? I don’t like the idea of being a slave to anything?

First off… we’re not talking about being slaves to just anything… we are talking about giving our full allegiance to God and God alone. God has GOOD things in store for those who obey His commands. We are not saved by that obedience… but that obedience speaks of who we have offered ourselves to.

Secondly, so long as we are slaves to righteousness… we don’t have to worry about the destructive cost of sin in our lives! God has promised us eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!

My point is: IT IS A GOOD THING TO BECOME SLAVES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS!

Listen… there is a loving God, and a hate-filled enemy… that both desire your soul. One desires to set you free from death and destruction. The other wants nothing but death and destruction for you.

The wrestling match takes place in our hearts… and our the winner is announced through our obedience: either to the Word or the world.

So… one more time in chapter 6… Paul reinforces the outcomes of our potential offerings.

This Way… Or That.

Romans 6:20–23 NIV

20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I want us to start by looking at the question Paul presents in verse 21… and to answer it honestly. What benefit do we reap from engaging in the ways of the world?

Immediately we say NONE! But we say that on the other side of knowing Jesus. But for those who are trapped in sin… the enemy has convinced them of some short-term benefit. How do I know this? That’s how he got Adam and Eve to sin.

The “benefit” the enemy presented in the garden was they would become like God, knowing both good and evil. Problem was… they were already like God - MADE IN HIS IMAGE!

The enemy sells sin on benefits. He makes righteousness out to be controlling, and twists sin to look like one big happy party.

We see this in EVERY area of life. And the more our culture turns from the Word, the more they buy into the lie. And the sad reality is… as the chains of sin become increasingly heavier, many people continue to offer themselves to additional sin as an escape. We see it in:

Marraige.

Relationships.

Morality.

Identity.

Substance abuse.

Here’s what the enemy doesn’t want the world to know. Eternal happiness can NEVER be found in sin. It’s a farce… it’s a scam. It’s a cover up. He baits the trap and waits for people to take the bait. Once we are caught in the trap of sin… we cannot escape.

A trap cannot be released from the inside… it can only be released from the outside.

This is way Christ was the only person that could set us free from the trap. HE WAS NEVER IN THE TRAP. His life was without sin meaning He was the only person that could set us free!

AND… WATCH THIS! He set us free then took our place. Then… once the payment was fully satisfied, GOD BROUGHT TOTAL VICTORY TO CHRIST OVER SIN, DEATH, AND THE GRAVE! The trap was blown apart!

Listen, Christ isn’t trying to lure you into some scheme like the enemy is… He is trying to set you free!

And… the freedom you are looking for is NOT FOUND IN HAPPINESS… it is the BIGGEST lie of our culture… The freedom you desire is found in holiness. And that is the way Christ leads us.

Final Question

So the question is… who or what are we offering ourselves to?

Before we answer with words… lets look at our obedience. What does our obedience reveal about our offering? Do you find yourself caught in the trap and enslavement of sin… or are you in the service of Almighty God?

If sin has been an issue, then ask Jesus to break the chains… and once He does, don’t go running back to that which was leading you to death. Remain faithful to the One who is leading you to life!

Jesus has the power to set you free tonight! All you got to do… is fully offer yourself to Him!