No Longer A Slave

What is slave? It bpoils down to ownership. A slave is someone who is owned, belongs to someone else. If some one or something owns you, you belong to it - you are its slave.

This is for example what makes addiction so destructive. When a person is addicted - to cigarests, drugs, alchohol, porn - that substance owns them, controlls them, they have to do what it says and if it says smoke, they smoke,n if it says look, they look - they are slaves.

Now im not ministering on adiction today, i just mention that to help you understand what a slave is.

Beforer we were saved by the Grace of Jesus Christ - we were ll slaves.

Slaves to sin, slaves to the world, slaves to our flesh, slaves to the devil.

Note jesus words:

John 8:44 AV

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

That phrase “are of” means belong to - once agsin - ownership.

Slavery is the defanition of defeat - freedom is the definition of victory.

And Jesus came to set you free:

Galatians 5:1 AV

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

So when i speak to born again believers I am speaking NOT to slaves but free people.

But i have noticed a problem.

Free people who Still think Like Slaves

For many christians, they still have the midset of a slave. they still think like a slave, act like a slave - are defeated like slave - yet, by the power of the blood - should be free.

Shoul be transformed by the renewing of their minds.

And the area I want to show this and minsinter is the folloowing:

Many Christians speak, behave and think, like they still belong to someone or something.

Ownership is what im speaking about: Look:

You own it or it owns you. It is subject to you or you are sunject to it.

It is that simple.

And in this pilgrimage called life, as we walk in the steps of Jesus - it is something we need to remeber.

Jesus is the greatest Victor

If we want to know how to live in victory - in a broken and sinful world - we need look no further than our savior.

1 Corinthians 15:57 AV

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

And i want to show you how Jesus took ownership of something, something terrible. And by taking ownership of it, it became sunject to him and not him to it.

Colossians 1:18–20 AV

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

I want you to notice what God calls the cross.

Its not a cross, or the cross - its HIS cross - it belongs to him.

This is powerful because it WAS the Romans cross. they built it, they brought it. The cross belonged to the romans and they wanted to nail Jesus to it, therebty making him subject to them.

But Jesus, by claiming it as his, instead of being a victom of the cross, he becomes a victor over the cross.

And he actually encougaes us to do the same:

Luke 9:23 AV

23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Not a cross, but his cross - tke owneship of it.

Just to remind you: the cross is a picture of your burden, your struggle.

It comes in many forms and shapes. It is the weight of living holy in an unholy world. It is the result of existing in fallen creration - where sin, pain, suffering, death, sickness are all present.

And what Jesus is saying is that we must not become victems of the cross, but victors over it.

And we do that, by our attitude towards the burden or struggle.

Are you afarid of it? Was Jesus afraid of it?

Do you try to run from it and aviod it? Did Jesus run away from ikt?

on the contrary - Jesus knew what was waiting and delibertly went towards it.

Matthew 16:21 AV

21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

The Power of Ownership

Perhaps the greatest blessing that comes from ownership is that because it belongs to you, you now have the authority to presnt it to God, for him to use it foir your good.

Romans 8:28 AV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Look at Joseph.

His brothers made aplan to throw him in a well and then to sell him as a slave.

And he could have been a victem of his brothers evil. But instead he turned it into victory. He knew that God was with him. he knew that God was in charge. He knew that God’s will will be done - and so he haned over his situation to God. and in the end:

Genesis 50:20 AV

20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Paul took ownership of his prison cell and turened it into a house of praise.

Daniel took ownership of the lions den and turned it into a place of prayer.

And Jesus took ownership of the cross and made it an instrament of salvation.

They Will Be Done

Church, im noting that you should just be a door mat or everyuthing.

In each of these situations they all prayed for deliverance.

Daniel prayed to God, Paul asked God to set him free.

Even Jesus asked the father to let the cup of sufferng that the crosswould bring to pass him by.

So we should pray to be healed, and we should pray to be delivered.

But while we waiut, or if the Lord should say no in his sovergn power. we can rest that iven in a lions den, prison cell, even on a cross - His will will be done.